The Jan. 20 issue of Applied Optics features a series of technical papers on atmospheric phenomena that are observable with the naked eye. The introductory article argues that many contemporary scientific endeavors are far removed from our everyday lives and that inquiries grounded in experience are evocative of the sublime in the act of discovery.Deriving its title from Light and Color in the Open Air by Marcel Minnaert, the issue collects several papers that were first reported at the June 2001 Topical Meeting on Meteorological Optics in Boul-der, Colo. Selected works include theoretical and observational investigations into ice-crystal halos, refraction at sunset, the Novaya Zemlya effect, rainbows and mirages, glories and cloud bows, and coronas.