约塞米蒂国家公园里的火瀑布，加利福尼亚州，美国 Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, USA (© Jorge Villalba/Getty Images)

约塞米蒂国家公园里的火瀑布，加利福尼亚州，美国 Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, USA (© Jorge Villalba/Getty Images)

光照之处 Where light falls

约塞米蒂国家公园里的火瀑布，加利福尼亚州

今天，是安塞尔·亚当斯的诞辰。正是他的镜头，塑造了世人心中优胜美地的形象。这座国家公园以雄伟的花岗岩岩壁、壮观的瀑布和变幻莫测的光线闻名，持续激发着一代又一代艺术家的创作灵感。而其中最令人着迷的景象，是被称作“火瀑”的奇观。这一名称，其实源自优胜美地历史中的两种不同景象。在过去，人们曾聚集在冰川点，观看一种人工制造的奇观：炽热的余烬被推下悬崖，在夜幕中倾泻而下，宛如一条燃烧的火流。

相比之下，真正令人着迷的，是埃尔卡皮坦山马尾瀑布上出现的自然火瀑。在二月中下旬的少数几个黄昏，落日以恰到好处的角度照亮瀑布，使水流染上一层炽亮的橙色，仿佛熔岩顺着山体缓缓倾泻。这一奇观并非年年可见，它依赖于晴朗的天空、充沛的水量，以及分秒不差的时机。1973年，摄影师盖伦·罗威尔首次捕捉到这一罕见瞬间，并拍下广为流传的影像，让这一天然奇观走入公众视野，成为优胜美地最令人惊叹的景象之一。

Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California

Today we celebrate the birthday of Ansel Adams, a photographer whose vision helped shape the world's perception of Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is renowned for its granite walls, dramatic waterfalls, and striking light, all of which have inspired generations of artists. One of its most intriguing sights is the Firefall, a term that refers to two distinct events in the park's history. For decades, visitors gathered at Glacier Point to watch an artificial Firefall, in which embers were pushed off the cliff in a glowing stream of fire.

Far more mysterious is the natural Firefall at Horsetail Fall on El Capitan. On a few evenings in mid- to late February, the sunset hits the waterfall at just the right angle, turning it bright orange, as if molten lava were sliding down the mountain. Clear skies, sufficient water, and perfect timing are all essential for this effect to occur. In 1973, Galen Rowell observed this rare phenomenon and took the first widely known photograph of the natural Firefall—bringing widespread attention to one of Yosemite's most remarkable sights.