Sunburst

{{Short description|Stylized design of the Sun commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns}} {{other uses|Sunburst (disambiguation)}} thumb|upright|One example of various sunburst designs

A '''sunburst''' is a design or figure commonly used in architectural ornaments and design patterns and possibly pattern books. It consists of rays or "beams" radiating outward from a central disk, in the manner of sunbeams.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |edition=4th |year=2004 |url=https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sunburst |title=sunburst |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |access-date=2008-01-17 }} </ref> Sometimes part of a sunburst, a semicircular or semi-elliptical shape, is used.

Traditional sunburst motifs usually show the rays tapering as they extend further from the centre. From the later 19th century, the rays often flare instead, as in the Japanese Rising Sun Flag, which is more appropriate in optical terms.

In architecture, the sunburst is often used in window designs, including fanlights and rose windows, as well as in decorative motifs. The sunburst motif is characteristic of Baroque church metalwork, especially monstrances and votive crowns, and Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles as well as church architecture. A sunburst is frequently used in emblems, military decorations, and badges.

Sunbursts can appear in photographs when taking a picture of the Sun through the diaphragm of a lens set to a narrow aperture due to diffraction; the effect is often called a sunstar.<ref>{{cite web |first=Ken|last=Rockwell |date=2008 |url=https://kenrockwell.com/tech/sunstars.htm |title=Sunstars |access-date=2021-07-13 |archive-date=2021-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714070402/https://kenrockwell.com/tech/sunstars.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In information visualization, a sunburst chart or diagram is a multilevel pie chart used to represent the proportion of different values found at each level in a hierarchy.

==Badges== The sunburst was the badge of king Edward III of England, and has thus become the badge of office of Windsor Herald.

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Monstrans.jpg|A traditional "solar" monstrance File:Maria de las angustias 1.JPG|Baroque sunburst crown on a Spanish statue of the Virgin Mary Image:Disk usage (Boabab).png|Sunburst chart representing disk usage in a file system File:War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.svg|War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army (army's version of the Rising Sun Flag) File:Naval Jack of the Republic of China.svg|Blue Sky with a White Sun, flag of the Chinese Nationalist Party File:Star of the Order of the Star of India (gold).svg|The Star of India, official emblem of British India File:Flag of the Smithsonian Institution.svg|The flag of the Smithsonian Institution File:Eastern Columbia Building entrance.jpg|Terra cotta sunburst art deco design in gold at the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles File:City Hall Rotunda3.jpg|{{center|Bottom of stairs, Burbank City Hall, Burbank, California}} File:Chrysler building- top.jpg|Chrysler Building top File:Green Sunburst Flag.svg|Traditional Irish sunburst flag, used since the 18th century and associated with the mythical warriors, the Fianna File:Sunburst Flag.svg|Modern sunburst flag, used by Irish nationalist groups File:Flag of St George, Utah.svg|Flag of St. George, Utah, USA File:GeneseeDABadge.jpg|Sunburst on a badge. </gallery>

==See also== *{{section link|Solar symbol|Rayed depictions}}

==Footnotes== {{reflist}} {{wiktionary|sunburst}}

Category:Ornaments (architecture) Category:Visual motifs Category:Solar symbols