                        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.

                               2023 October 14

                              Circular Sun Halo
                Image Credit & Copyright: Vincenzo Mirabella

   Explanation: Want to see a ring around the Sun? It's easy to do in
   daytime skies around the world. Created by randomly oriented ice
   crystals in thin high cirrus clouds, circular 22 degree halos are
   visible much more often than rainbows. This one was captured by smart
   phone photography on May 29, 2021 near Rome, Italy. Carefully blocking
   the Sun, for example with a finger tip, is usually all that it takes to
   reveal the common bright halo ring. The halo's characteristic angular
   radius is about equal to the span of your hand, thumb to little finger,
   at the end of your outstretched arm. Want to see a ring of fire
   eclipse? That's harder. The spectacular annular phase of today's
   (October 14) solar eclipse, known as a ring of fire, is briefly visible
   only when standing along the Moon's narrow shadow track that passes
   over limited parts of North, Central, and South America. The solar
   eclipse is partial though, when seen from broader regions throughout
   the Americas.

                         Tomorrow's picture: Sun Day
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

