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Credit & Copyright: Jaroslav Fous
Explanation:
Why is there a huge eye in the sky?
Diamond dust.
That is an
informal term for small
ice crystals that form in the air and flitter to the ground.
Because these crystals are
geometrically shaped, they can together
reflect light from the
Sun or
Moon to your eyes in a systematic way,
causing huge halos and unusual arcs to appear.
And sometimes, together the result can seem like a
giant eye looking right back at you.
In the featured image taken in the
Ore Mountains of the
Czech Republic
last week, a bright Moon rising through
ice fog-filled air resulted in many of these
magnificent sky illusions to be visible simultaneously.
Besides
Moon dogs,
tangent arcs,
halos, and a
parhelic circle,
light pillars
above distant lights are visible on the far left, while
Jupiter and
Mars
can be found just inside the bottom of the
22-degree halo.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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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