Ice crystals in the air can trick your eyes into seeing three suns

Science
Ice crystals in the air can trick your eyes into seeing three suns

Atmospheric ice crystals can create a dazzling optical illusion known as sun dogs, where two bright spots of light appear on either side of the sun, mimicking the appearance of multiple stars.

Sun dogs, or parhelia, occur when sunlight refracts through hexagonal ice crystals drifting in high-altitude cirrus clouds. These tiny prisms bend light at a specific twenty-two-degree angle, creating two luminous patches that sit perfectly level with the sun. This phenomenon is most visible when the sun is low on the horizon during sunrise or sunset.

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