Question 1

What is the difference between Alpenglow and Belt of Venus?

Accepted Answer

Both are backscattered twilight red, and they're two halves of one scene. The Belt of Venus is the pink anti-twilight arch in the sky opposite the sun, sitting above the blue band of Earth's own shadow. Alpenglow is that same light landing on a mountain face.

Question 2

How do I know if I mean Alpenglow rather than Belt of Venus?

Accepted Answer

Readers who land here meaning Alpenglow rather than Belt of Venus are usually searching for phrases like “what is alpenglow”, “why do mountains turn pink”, “alpenglow vs sunset light”.

Aspect	Alpenglow	Belt of Venus
Where	On a mountain	In the sky
Direction	Opposite the sun	Opposite the sun
Light source	Backscattered	Backscattered
Needs mountains	Yes	No

Side by side

Which one did you mean?

Alpenglow

Read either one in full