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                           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.   
      
                                  2026 January 9   
      
                        Ice Halos by Moonlight and Sunlight   
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Antonella Cicala   
      
      Explanation: Both Moon and Sun create beautiful ice halos in planet   
      Earth's sky. In fact, the two brightest celestial beacons are each   
      surrounded by a complex of ice halos in these photos of the sky above   
      Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France. The panels were recorded one night   
      (left) and the following day at the end of December 2025. Similar ice   
      halos appear in moonlight and sunlight because they are all formed   
      through the geometry of flat, hexagonal ice crystals. The ice crystals   
      reflect and refract light as they flutter in the cold atmosphere above   
      the mountain resort. In the pictures both Moon and Sun are surrounded   
      by a more commonly seen 22 degree circular halo. Bright and sometimes   
      colorful patches at the intersections of the 22 degree circular halos   
      with the indicated parselenic and parhelic arcs are also known as Moon   
      dogs and Sun dogs.   
      
                       Tomorrow's picture: opposite the Sun   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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