• Real-Life Sonic Rainboom

    by
    Well, sort of. Thought you guys might be interested in this little tidbit before today's regular Seth-Sponsored News™ starts.

    Yesterday as I was leaving the college campus, I happened to notice out the shuttle window a ring of light around the sun in the colors of the rainbow. Jokingly, I thought to myself, Rainbow Dash, if you do those every day, ponies will think you're showing off. I tried to snap a picture with my phone, seen above, but even color-corrected it's difficult to see it. I dismissed the phenomenon.

    This morning, I saw an article from a local radio station explaining 'the striking ring around the sun' from yesterday. So I wasn't crazy! I had been visited by a sonic rainboom! And it was awesome.

    Alright, there's my independent journalism for today. Back to your regularly scheduled shipping.
    Thursday, May 5, 2011 op
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    40 comments:

    1. Fire.EsperMay 5, 2011 at 8:00 AM

      Well, if a nearby house exploded and everyone around turned into vegetation or household objects, you know why.

      ReplyDelete
    2. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:00 AM

      It's Rainbow Dash's way of making up to you for all the cold weather you had! :D

      Believe~

      ReplyDelete
    3. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:01 AM

      That day Seth smiled FOREVER!!

      ReplyDelete
    4. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:02 AM

      Did you earn your cutie mark, Cereal Velocity?

      ReplyDelete
    5. Cereal VelocityMay 5, 2011 at 8:03 AM

      @Anonymous

      I sure did, but it was in the shape of a calculus final. And then it disappeared.

      I think it was a joke.

      ReplyDelete
    6. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:03 AM

      Now it's official, a sonic rainboom can happen without breaking physics^^

      This world has become at least 20% cooler

      ReplyDelete
    7. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:09 AM

      @Cereal Velocity

      What's your major, Cereal? Good luck with finals

      ReplyDelete
    8. Onnane GarronMay 5, 2011 at 8:17 AM

      @Cereal Velocity I know the waiting is difficult, but you really shouldn't waste your money on temporary cutie marks. :-P

      Interesting story and pic!

      If I remember right, you have to underexposed the shot by quite a bit to bring out a rainbow. Because the camera is trying to compensate for the high light levels in the sky.

      ReplyDelete
    9. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:22 AM

      Well, it's clear what happened here. Equestria is the next dimension over from ours in the multiverse, and the force of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom was so great that it echoed (albeit in a much weaker form) across our world as well. Perhaps the Best Young Flyers Competition was occurring at that very moment.

      The only pony who noticed this was of course Pinkie Pie. She is currently trying to figure out a way to perform some sort of "sonic partyboom" that will allow her to send her own effects across the dimensional void, so she can say hi to the funny creatures who watch her adventures every week.

      ReplyDelete
    10. Cereal VelocityMay 5, 2011 at 8:25 AM

      @Anonymous

      Computer science. If I get sent to Equestria, I'm screwed for a profession.

      @Sheepdog

      Aye, I would have done so, but, well, it's a phone camera. It's kind of amazing it can take pictures at all.

      ReplyDelete
    11. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:34 AM

      I like how in the linked article it says "It is not a sign of the apocalypse."

      ReplyDelete
    12. TekaramityMay 5, 2011 at 8:46 AM

      It is a sign. All hail Rainbow Dash, purveyor of all things awesome. *salute~*

      Also, calculus finals were so much fun! =3 Yeah, I remember those. Don't procrastinate; integrate!

      ReplyDelete
    13. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:54 AM

      OMG, i saw one the monday and take 2 photos
      it was exactly like this one
      i'm not the only one who thought about the sonic raimboom, yay i'm not crazy!

      ReplyDelete
    14. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 8:54 AM

      Next thing you know theres gonna be a giant cloud thats looks like pinkie pie smiling

      ReplyDelete
    15. Hikuro14May 5, 2011 at 9:02 AM

      Inb4 you get your cutie mark.

      ReplyDelete
    16. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 9:17 AM

      You got your cutie mark?

      All I got was a rock.

      ~Scratch

      ReplyDelete
    17. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 9:19 AM

      I love the fact that every comment over there is about ponies; and half of them have pony icons too.

      ReplyDelete
    18. 2007excalibur2007May 5, 2011 at 9:45 AM

      Real-life is now 20% cooler.

      ReplyDelete
    19. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 9:52 AM

      You commute via space shuttle?!

      ReplyDelete
    20. StreakTheFoxMay 5, 2011 at 9:56 AM

      @Cereal Velocity
      Nice major :P
      Mine's Cellular Biology, but my cutie mark has already showed up. It's an autobot insignia >w<

      ReplyDelete
    21. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 10:18 AM

      I think someone at 104.5 San Antionio's Classic Rock might think it a bit weird that EVERY SINGLE ONE of the comments on this article has nothing to do with San Antonio or the weather or classic rock, and everything to do with flying rainbow ponies. That's probably going to be a bit out of left field for some folks.

      ReplyDelete
    22. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 10:21 AM

      WHAT DOES IT MEAN? ITS SO BRIGHT, SO INTENSE MAN.

      ReplyDelete
    23. Joe EnglandMay 5, 2011 at 10:23 AM

      You know what this means, don't you?
      God's a fan.

      ReplyDelete
    24. FoxoxMay 5, 2011 at 10:28 AM

      Check this out too... and it's actually sonic
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsDEfu8s1Lw

      ReplyDelete
    25. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 10:37 AM

      *gets her Twilight Sparkle smarty-pants on*

      Actually, what you saw was known as a parhelion, more commonly referred to as a sun dog. It's a meteorological phenomenon. They're caused by high-level cirrus clouds around the sun. The ice crystals in the cirrus clouds reflect light, and bingo, bango, boom: sonic rainboom. I only know this because I took a meteorology class (and hated it) in junior college.

      Also, we had one in Houston the same day as you.

      ReplyDelete
    26. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 11:46 AM

      I suppose that's what happens when Dashie hits 88 MPH, she jumps between worlds and this happens in the world she jumps to... XP

      *so wish that were true*

      ReplyDelete
    27. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 12:30 PM

      @Cereal Velocity

      Wow, I thought I was the only Texas brony.

      ReplyDelete
    28. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 12:51 PM

      I remember seeing something like this in Wikipedia's mirages/optical effects page.

      ReplyDelete
    29. EscherMay 5, 2011 at 12:53 PM

      No, actually Texas seems to have a pretty good contingent! Texas brony here too.

      ReplyDelete
    30. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 12:58 PM

      Nice, KZEP is probably the only station I can listen to besides NPR when I forget my ipod lol. Texas bronies unite!

      ReplyDelete
    31. Onnane GarronMay 5, 2011 at 2:03 PM

      @Cereal Velocity

      You could be the Equestrian version of Bill Gates and invent computers and cell phones with better cameras!

      Or just pick apples...

      ReplyDelete
    32. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 2:39 PM

      I'm a Texas female brony. I'm such a minority here.

      ReplyDelete
    33. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 4:27 PM

      @Sheepdog

      Apple? So you're saying Cereal could be the Equestrian version of Steve Jobs?

      ReplyDelete
    34. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 4:31 PM

      @Cereal Velocity
      You could build a wicked abacus.

      ReplyDelete
    35. PecanMay 5, 2011 at 5:39 PM

      So... this could be a sign that those conversion Bureau stories won't be stories for long? :|

      ReplyDelete
    36. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 5:41 PM

      @Anonymous
      Are you trolling?
      If not, are you single? :D

      ReplyDelete
    37. brongaarMay 5, 2011 at 7:07 PM

      Protip- To take a pic of a sundog put the sun slightly off-frame that catches the rainbow effect... IceClouds way up there and the sunis peeking through it.

      ReplyDelete
    38. K. ChanMay 5, 2011 at 8:53 PM

      @SheepdogI tried my best to come up with a pony gun for BIll Gate's name. The best I can come up with is Bill Gaites.

      Also, Cereal Velocity! CS Brony High five!

      ReplyDelete
    39. AnonymousMay 6, 2011 at 1:40 AM

      @Pecan

      Oh I hope not. The war between our species would be something to see though.

      ReplyDelete
    40. Chakat FirepawMay 6, 2011 at 1:24 PM

      @Anonymous

      Actually, sun dogs are the pair of bright spots where the 22 degree circular halo crosses the parhelic circle.

      The 'rainboom" is the 22 degree circular halo, while the other bright streaks look like lens effects, (they don't match any kinds of ice halo).

      A good site for "what's that light display in the sky?" is: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/

      ReplyDelete

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