When the sky is clear, and the moon hangs low in the horizon, you can sometimes spot a halo around it, like the one captured in this image from Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast. And occasionally within that halo, you may also see a bright spot that appears to be a second moon. No, it"s not the moon"s long-lost twin, but an optical phenomenon called a paraselene, more commonly referred to as a moon dog or mock moon. This "false" moon can appear when the real moon is at least a quarter visible and is bright enough for its light to refract off hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals floating in the atmosphere. Moon dogs are more commonly seen in winter months, when ice crystals are more prevalent in the clouds.
What s going on in this sky?
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Let s ride! It s Roller Coaster Day
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Fibonacci Day
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Happy Arbor Day!
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World Parrot Day
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Bridge over the River Tara
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Male kori bustard, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
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A reflection of Europe s past
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Lighting it up for Vivid Sydney
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A day of death and rebirth
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Martinique
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Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
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Can you see the family resemblance?
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Santo Antão Island in the Republic of Cabo Verde
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Baltic Sea, Estonia
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Detroit Industry Murals by Diego Rivera
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Light show in the forest
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A garden of prickly delights
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National Love a Tree Day
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Stompin’ with the Big Chief
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Anybody out there?
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How green is my valley
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Polar Bear Week
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Birds of a feather
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An impactful day
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Protecting endangered giants
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Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
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Channel Country, Australia
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All eyes on moths
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What, no escalator?
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Sea Slug Day