Credit & Copyright: Antonella Cicala
Explanation:
Both Moon and Sun create beautiful
ice halos in planet Earth's sky.
In fact, the two brightest celestial beacons are each surrounded by a
complex of ice halos
in these photos of
the sky above Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France.
The panels were recorded one night (left)
and the following day at the end of December 2025.
Similar
ice halos appear
in moonlight and sunlight
because they are all formed through the geometry of flat, hexagonal
ice crystals.
The ice crystals reflect and refract light
as they flutter in the cold atmosphere above the mountain resort.
In the pictures both Moon and Sun are surrounded by
a more commonly seen 22 degree circular halo.
Bright and sometimes colorful patches at the intersections
of the 22 degree circular halos with the indicated
parselenic and parhelic arcs are
also known as
Moon dogs and
Sun dogs.
(Editor's note: Annotations updated by Marcella Pace)
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A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
