                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 December 27
    The featured image shows two complete circular rainbows centered on a
      mountainous island. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                      A Full Circle Rainbow over Norway
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Lukas Moesch

   Explanation: Have you ever seen an entire rainbow? From the ground,
   typically, only the top portion of a rainbow is visible because
   directions toward the ground have fewer raindrops. From the air,
   though, the entire 360-degree circle of a rainbow is more commonly
   visible. Pictured here, a full-circle rainbow was captured over the
   Lofoten Islands of Norway in September by a drone passing through a
   rain shower. An observer-dependent phenomenon primarily caused by the
   internal reflection of sunlight by raindrops, the rainbow has a full
   diameter of 84 degrees. The Sun is in the exact opposite direction from
   the rainbow's center. As a bonus, a second rainbow that was more faint
   and color-reversed was visible outside the first.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

