![]() ![]() They appear as large, but weak flashes of red and usually happen at the same time as the cloud-to-ground lightning we all know. Sprites, for example are large electrical discharges that occur at an altitude of around 50–90 km, above large thunderstorm systems. There are several different types of transient luminous events such as sprites, jets and elves, each with their own characteristics. They are usually only captured by sensitive photographic equipment and, because they emit weak light, photographs can only be taken at night. They are very brief, lasting from less than a millisecond to two seconds, and rarely seen from the ground. M.Transient luminous events are optical phenomena that occur high up in the atmosphere and they are linked to electrical activity in underlying thunderstorms. Benedict Sees the Light: Asam’s Solar Eclipses as Metaphor,” Religion and the Arts 11 (2007): 299–329. Nevertheless, before the advent of photography, astronomers, like artists, drew what they observed in the heavens.įor more information on this topic, see Roberta J. Asam probably was not in touch with astronomers in the geographical areas where he worked. Like other artists interested in celestial observations, he depicted many astronomical and meteorological phenomena, among them stars, suns, lunar eclipses, rainbows, lightning, dramatically illuminated sunsets, and tempestuous skies, as well as an armillary sphere. 1) suggests that Asam witnessed the eclipse of May 13, 1733, and perhaps combined his own observations of it with descriptions from contemporary scientists.Īsam’s highly visionary, operatic art utilized light-both physical (natural light, sometimes via concealed architectural windows) and illusionistic-together with images of meteorological and astronomical phenomena, to create painted visions that were physically tangible. Comparing this later representation with his earlier attempt (fig. This phenomenon-when the first ray of light breaks through a valley on the edge of the moon’s silhouette-is known as the “diamond-ring effect” (fig. The artist accurately depicted the solar corona surrounding the moon, which is obscured by the sun as well as by the light that bursts forth from the edge of the dark lunar disk in the moment after totality. The canvas shows an elderly saint who, confronted by a solar eclipse, seems to experience a seizure-as well as enlightenment-at the moment when light erupts from the celestial sphere, as described in Benedict’s vision. ![]() Gregory the Great, reveals why the event is rarely depicted: it was extremely difficult to visualize.Īround ten years later, Asam painted another galvanizing Vision of St Benedict, for a different Benedictine church. This painting represents the culmination of his desire to capture the saint’s ecstatic, mystical vision in naturalistic terms, via light that is a metaphor for the divine presence. By portraying a solar eclipse as a metaphor for the saint’s vision, Asam made the religious experience more accessible. A reading of its literary source, the Dialogues of St. Although solar eclipses were not closely studied until the nineteenth century, with the Enlightenment came an ability to predict and calculate their paths (fig. 1) after experiencing the solar eclipse of (fig. Benedict. He began tentatively, inserting images of eclipses into other scenes, like the Crucifixion, and various events in the saint’s life, such as his apotheosis. In early eighteenth-century Bavaria, Cosmas Damian Asam combined novel scientific discoveries about solar eclipses with his own observations to create depictions of the Vision of St. Benediktiner-Kloster-und Pfarrkirche Sankt Georg und Sankt Martin, Weltenburg, Germany ![]()
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