shadow bands

British  

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

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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