Setyembre 9, 2025

Look back on the 20 best of the year on this, the 6th anniversary of the sunrise project.

In chronological order, with a few notes, including my choice of the best single image from the year.

September 13:

IMG_8877

September 14:

IMG_8911

September 22:

IMG_9066

October 23:

IMG_9588

October 28:

IMG_9708

November 18:

IMG_9964

December 8 (my choice for the most beautiful single image):

IMG_0105

January 7:

IMG_0453

January 8:

IMG_0490

January 17 (best ice):

IMG_0583

February 24 (special distinction for gentleness):

IMG_0816

March 13 (I like the Xs and the birds):

IMG_0967

March 25 (that's quite a color, that lipstick orange):

IMG_1114

May 10 (distinctive stripes):

IMG_1778

May 23:

IMG_1924

June 5 (the gentlest of the chosen sunrises, thanks to smoke from Canada):

IMG_2157 (2)

July 8 (very odd color and the shapes seem like bears exulting):

IMG_2613

July 16 (the best brown sunrise of the year):

IMG_2753

August 17:

IMG_3144

August 24 (the one I told you at the time was top 1%):

IMG_3218

43 komento:

Lazarus ayon kay ...

Throw in some proto-feminist erotic nudes and you may get a gallery show.

Leland ayon kay ...

I’m for Jan 7th because of the ice detail.

Paddy O ayon kay ...

Wonderful!

Paddy O ayon kay ...

The differences within the same bring out so much life and show the diversity of beauty. At one point, I wrote a whole paper on beauty and theology, coming to a conclusion that beauty is an experience which we share with God. A sunrise is beautiful because it is a moment we sit with God and marvel at what is made. I used the example of a sunset, but sunrises are equal to that (I'm a west coast guy so sunsets over the ocean are a thing of beauty).

I'll quote myself from that essay:

"God, after all, does not say in Genesis 1, “I am good.” He says, “it is good” and humanity is “very good”. This suggests that beauty is good because God celebrates it too. We share our beauty with him, he shares his beauty with us, and together we share the beauty of his creation in communion with each other. A sunset is beautiful because a sunset is beautiful, something we and God together appreciate, and in this appreciation we find a shared moment. This shared moment, a mutual agreement, is an expression of theosis. We recognize each other in our recognition of a shared appreciation for the beautiful, a recognition that comes from our being made in the image of God, and a perception which God shares with us, as part of sharing his community with us.

Celebration of beauty endears us to God, for we see what is good and we share a moment with him in the pleasure of its profound goodness. It also endears God to us, for as we celebrate what God celebrates we let go our need for rational meaning and self-justification and self-divinization. We see in this experience that is outside of us a deeper experience of life that resonates within us the hope and the peace of eternal participation with God.

Theosis is a shared appreciation for what is beautiful, an eternal aesthetic celebration, walking again in the garden together."

NKP ayon kay ...

Sep 13 & 22

Enlighten-NewJersey ayon kay ...

Well done! Such great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Lyle Sanford, RMT ayon kay ...

Lovely, lovely, lovely!!! What a great project with such wonderful results. The pics on the blog remind me of way back when McNeil Lehrer went to a full hour and they put up nature shots between segments for a while, relaxing the whole experience.

BudBrown ayon kay ...

What about Sept 15 and Mar 3!

Birches ayon kay ...

May 23rd is the best to me

Lance ayon kay ...

The first image from July 25 stands out to me: blue/orange contrast, pebbly cloud texture, reflected symmetry. Striking.

Peachy ayon kay ...

Oct 23
Aug 17

difficult to choose. All are stunning.

JIM ayon kay ...

May 23 - very dynamic, spectral diversity, texture imbalance

Peachy ayon kay ...

May 23rd -yeah. nice.

Peachy ayon kay ...

Dec 8th - yeah Agree. Stunning.

Creola Soul ayon kay ...

September 8, is the best but I also like May 23. Both evoke images of “Ghost Riders in the Sky”, and you see where the songwriter got his inspiration.

Tina Trent ayon kay ...

"The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran."

Sydney ayon kay ...

Generally, I like the ones that are mostly blue, but of these, I like March 25.

Peachy ayon kay ...

Of the Blue photos - I like Oct 28

Inga ayon kay ...

October 23 and September 14.

Mike (MJB Wolf) ayon kay ...

December 8 and October 23

rhhardin ayon kay ...

All the sunrises look the same to me. Debussy did write that Wagner was a beautiful sunset that has been confused with a sunrise.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

I was going to say May 23 is my second favorite.

effinayright ayon kay ...

I'm a late riser, so I very seldom see sunrises.

Seeing yours over the years, I marvel at the images' wild variety. It's like they were taken on different planets, not just our own.

Temujin ayon kay ...

There are some real beauties here. And we thank all the participants for playing, but...there can only be one winner.

2nd Runner Up: June 5
1st Runner Up: Aug 24
Winner: Aug 17

bagoh20 ayon kay ...

My favorite is the one with the alien spacecraft peeking through the clouds. Happy probing!

Josephbleau ayon kay ...

I say June 5. Firey but peaceful. Turbulent water, ropey burning lava clouds, a little light place on the left for God to sit, and a glowing streak of Aurora. Then a fade to blue.

Original Mike ayon kay ...

I have several favorites.
Don't make me choose!

Original Mike ayon kay ...

December 8 IS particularly nice.

BG ayon kay ...

Are you going to whittle it down to 12 and put out a calendar? I would buy that! They're all beautiful in their way.

wendybar ayon kay ...

They are all stunning!!

wendybar ayon kay ...

I like May 23rd the best, but it was hard to pick only one!!

RCOCEAN II ayon kay ...

All very good. I agree aug 24th is impressive. Clothes make the man. Clouds make the picture.

FormerLawClerk ayon kay ...

None of these even come close to May 23.

May 23 is out of this world.

Would like to see better framing, though, Ann. Rule of Thirds.

Ampersand ayon kay ...

May 23 and August 24. Tie.

Off topic.
Like many, I've created thousands of images over the years, and have problems organizing and accessing them. Also, too many duplicates and near duplicates. Has anyone found a solution that they can pass along? This seems like something AI might help with.

Narr ayon kay ...

Can't choose. Wouldn't be prudent.

wildswan ayon kay ...

March 13
June 5th

But honestly, in another mood I might pick two others, they're so beautiful.

Lazarus ayon kay ...

My contribution about needing more nudie pics if you want a gallery show -- stuck in filter or outright banned?

forest ayon kay ...

May 10 and June 5. Absolutely love the sunrise project, look forward to the pictures every day. Thank you.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

@Lazarus

Yes, it had gone to spam. I got it out.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner, since it was the first comment on this post. I feel like I'm checking the spam folder every hour or so. Maybe not!

Anyway... funny comment. Sorry it didn't hold the top spot as it deserved.

Ann Althouse ayon kay ...

I especially like comments that cross-reference other posts of the day, so it's annoying that the spam filter is seeing such things as not belonging. Maybe being the first comment is something that bots are good at doing and that was an additional factor.

Rusty ayon kay ...

My mild criticism. Too many pictures that include the Battersea power station along with the sepulchre of the holy democrat.
None are any of my favorites but still stunning.

Leslie Graves ayon kay ...

I love all of them but am most drawn to the gentle ones: February 24 and June 5.

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