Madam, – The sun “dancing” in the sky at the Marian shrine in Knock, Co Mayo, reported by a small fraction of the large crowd that gathered there last week (Home News, October 12th), is very unlikely to be due to any supernatural events.
A more likely natural explanation is as follows. On the day in question it was cloudy and when the sun is viewed through thin cloud it often appears as a bright thin disc. Any alteration in the density of the passing cloud can cause the sun to appear to “shimmer or dance” due to alterations in the sun’s apparent brightness and dimness as seen through the passing clouds. As the sun brightens it appears to advance and as it dims it appears to go back or recede. Water droplets or atmospheric dust in the cloud can also cause the sun also to apparently change colours.
If the sun truly danced in the sky, scientific observatories worldwide would have recorded it, but they did not! A little more common scientific sense is needed here before invoking supernatural explanations for what are after all just natural events. – Yours, etc,