Screaming in the Krakatoan Twilight

Today's New York Times has an interesting article about scientists of various types who are demystifying (to a certain extent) famous works of art by placing them in the context of their reality at the time they were made. The most famous example to date is the haunting red sunset from Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is actually the twilight as it appeared in Oslo in late 1883 or early 1884. The cause? The eruption of Krakatoa on the other side of the world. By the time of Munch's famous walk with his two friends, the debris of Krakatoa had made its way to the atmosphere around Norway.

Neat, huh?