Rob, It has to be that thin layer of atmoshpere we live under. The air on this ball is only 20-30 miles deep, and the first 5 miles are a lot denser than the 2nd 10 miles. (Not much on a ball 8,000 miles in diameter!)
Most of the time, you look thru 1 thickness of atmosphere, straight up, but... If you get the angle right, you've got to be using the air as a lens. You are looking thru a lot more air at the horizon, than at just one Sun diameter above the horizon. I suspect that is how the sun starts to look oval. Regards, Bob S. On 9/26/05, Rob Studdert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Does anyone know the technical reason that the sun renders as an ellipse when > shot close to the horizon? > > TIA. > > > Rob Studdert > HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA > Tel +61-2-9554-4110 > UTC(GMT) +10 Hours > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ > Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998 > >
