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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.   
      
                                 2022 December 21   
      
                       Sun Halo at Sixty-three Degrees North   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Goran Strand   
      
      Explanation: Happy Solstice! Today is the December solstice, marking an   
      astronomical beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere and winter   
      in the north. On its yearly trek through planet Earth's skies, at this   
      solstice the Sun reaches its southern most declination, 23.5 degrees   
      south, at 21:48 UTC. About 4 days ago the Sun was near this seasonal   
      southern limit and so only just above the horizon at local noon over   
      Ostersund in central Sweden. This view looking over the far northern   
      lakeside city finds the midday Sun with a beautiful solar ice halo.   
      Naturally occurring atmospheric ice crystals can produce the   
      tantalizing halo displays, refracting and reflecting the sunlight   
      through their hexagonal geometry. Still, with the Sun low and near the   
      horizon in the clear sky, likely sources of the ice crystals producing   
      this intense halo are snow cannons. Operating at a local ski area, the   
      snowmaking machines create a visible plume at the top of the nearby   
      island Froson toward the right side of the panorama.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: northern spiral   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          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.   
      
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