shadow bands

noun

1. slow-moving waves of light and dark observed to move across light-coloured surfaces on the earth just before and after totality in a solar eclipse. They are thought to originate from the effects of irregular atmospheric refraction

Example Sentences

Some acts are dismissive of their shadow bands, but Hood is kind of into the idea.

From Seattle Times

Bizarre “shadow bands” – like the waves of light found on the bottom of a swimming pool – will whisper across the ground, delicately at first, but becoming more obvious as the ambient light decreases.

From Seattle Times

Renowned English astronomer George Airy wrote about shadow bands during a total eclipse in the early 1840s, according to the space agency.

From Time

The shadow bands — sometimes called shadow snakes — are thin and wavy lines that can be seen moving on plain-colored surfaces, like white cars.

From Time

Faint ripples on the ground, known as shadow bands, may cross the landscape.

From Washington Post