Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 February 15
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Parhelia at Abisko
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: Felipe Menzella

   Explanation: Three suns seem to hug the horizon in this otherworldly
   winterscape. But the evocative scene was captured during a February 3rd
   snowmobile exploration of the mountainous region around Abisko National
   Park, northern Sweden, [4]planet Earth. The two bright spots on either
   side of [5]Earth's Sun are parhelia (singular parhelion), also known as
   mock suns or sun dogs. The parhelia are caused by [6]hexagonal ice
   crystals [7]suspended in the hazy atmosphere that reflect and refract
   sunlight. Commonly seen in winter and at high latitudes, the bright
   parhelia lie along the visible 22 degree [8]ice halo of the Sun.

                    Tomorrow's picture: swooping jupiter
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    Authors & editors: [20]Robert Nemiroff ([21]MTU) & [22]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([23]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [24]Specific rights apply.
              [25]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [26]ASD at [27]NASA / [28]GSFC,
                         [29]NASA Science Activation
                           & [30]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2502/_D8A2600d_2048.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://science.nasa.gov/earth/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog
   6. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/2014/02/03/reader-pics-sundogs/
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240125.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231220.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250214.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  13. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  18. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250215
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250216.html
  20. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  23. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  25. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  26. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  29. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  30. http://www.mtu.edu/