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Credit & Copyright: Radoslav
Zboran
Explanation:
Earth's
orbit around the Sun
is not a circle, it's an ellipse.
The point along its elliptical orbit where our fair planet is
closest
to the Sun
is called perihelion.
This year, perihelion was on January 2 at 01:00 UTC, with
the Earth about 3 million miles
closer to the Sun than it was at aphelion (last July 6),
the farthest point in its elliptical orbit.
Of course, distance from the Sun
doesn't
determine the seasons,
and it doesn't the determine size of Sun halos.
Easier to see
with the Sun hidden behind a tall tree trunk,
this beautiful ice halo forms a 22 degree-wide
circle around the Sun,
recorded while strolling through the countryside
near Heroldstatt, Germany.
The Sun halo's 22 degree angular diameter is
determined by the six-sided
geometry
of water ice crystals
drifting high in planet Earth's atmosphere.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - halo
Publications with words: Sun - halo
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 2 Á A Triangular Prominence Hovers Over the Sun
- APOD: 2024 August 18 Á A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- Glory and Fog Bow
- APOD: 2024 July 28 Á Sun Dance
- Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun
- APOD: 2024 May 28 Á Solar X Flare as Famous Active Region Returns