Time lapse sunrise on the Mall

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A time lapse video of the summer sunrise over the Capitol on August 9, 2010.

From darkness to morning sunshine, 92 minutes of video was compressed into 28 seconds which accelerated the summer sunrise over the Capitol on August 9, 2010. This was a typical summer sunrise in our region; a hazy and murky layer of air hung over Washington as the sun pushed above the horizon into a clear, summer sky.

What I find interesting in this video is that the sun appears to reflect off of a boundary layer in the atmosphere, above the hazy layer of air, before punching through and showing a clear, summer sky. If you watch a second time, check out the joggers speeding along the Mall. I used a Sony HD Handycam and Adobe Premiere Pro to capture and render this video.

Keep reading to see my favorite sunrise video from last year. You'll notice the difference between a clear, bright sky versus a hazy, humid sky.

The rising sun produces vivid color in the sky over Washington as a storm system approaches on September 26, 2009.