                        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.

                                2021 June 18

                       Devil Horns from a Ring of Fire
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Madhup Rathi

   Explanation: Atmospheric refraction flattened the solar disk and
   distorted its appearance in this telescopic view of an Atlantic sunrise
   on June 10. From Belmar, New Jersey on the US east coast, the scene was
   recorded at New Moon during this season's annular solar eclipse. The
   Moon in partial silhouette gives the rising Sun its crescent shape
   reminding some of the horns of the devil (or maybe a flying canoe ...).
   But at its full annular phase this eclipsed Sun looked like a ring of
   fire in the heavens. June's annular solar eclipse followed on the heels
   of the total lunar eclipse of late May's Full Moon. Of course, that
   total lunar eclipse was a dramatic red Blood Moon eclipse.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
     __________________________________________________________________

       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
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

