Posted on 12/20/2023 12:05:39 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: What's causing those unusual sky arcs? Ice crystals. While crossing a field of fresh snow near Füssen, Bavaria, Germany, earlier this month, the photographer noticed that he had entered an ice fog. For suspended water to freeze into an ice fog requires quite cold temperatures, and indeed the air temperature on this day was measured at well below zero. The ice fog reflected light from the Sun setting behind St. Coleman Church. The result was one of the greatest spectacles the photographer has ever seen. First, the spots in the featured picture are not background stars but suspended ice and snow. Next, two prominent ice halos are visible: the 22-degree halo and the 46-degree halo. Multiple arcs are also visible, including, from top to bottom, antisolar (subsun), circumzenithal, Parry, tangent, and parhelic (horizontal). Finally, the balloon shaped curve connecting the top arc to the Sun is the rarest of all: it is the heliac arc, created by reflection from the sides of hexagonally shaped ice crystals suspended in a horizontal orientation.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
That is such a cool picture, no pun intended!
Not astronomy-related, but there are places where ice ‘sings’ - it reminds me of whale singing. (Recordings are usually enhanced, because a lot of the sounds are frequencies too low for humans to hear.)
These are from Antarctica:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou2NBQA8k7I
This one is Sweden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd-CwJa1SHE
Pretty picture, but it’s been photoshopped to a fare-thee-well.
Oh wow...just awesome!
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