This time of year, California’s Keyhole Arch attracts visitors from near and far. The visitors come to see a natural light show. The Sun lines up perfectly in the middle of the arch at sunset. As the Sun peaks through the arch, its rays shine like fire.
Keyhole arch is a sea arch. Sea arches are formed from weathering [the process through which rock is broken down] caused by waves.
The sand on the beach near the arch is purple because it is made of the rock from the surrounding cliffs.
The “light show” at Keyhole Arch is best seen around the winter solstice. In the northern hemisphere, this happens in December. During the winter solstice, the north pole is tilted furthest away from the Sun. This results in the least sunlight. It is the shortest day of the year. It is also the first day of winter.
To view the “light show,” the conditions must be just right. The Sun lines up so that it shines through the hole only for a few weeks each winter. And the “show” lasts only a few minutes before the Sun sets.
What Do You Think? What makes a winter Keyhole Arch sunset so special?
Photo Credit: (t)Eric Lowenbach/Getty Images, (b)Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock
