Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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 April 25
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                         The Persistence of Sunlight
             Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Lorenzo Busilacchi

   Explanation: This seaside [5]sunset offered a surreal experience,
   captured in a sea and skyscape from the west coast of Sardinia, Italy,
   planet Earth. The Daliesque scene [6]is a composition of sequential
   exposures made with a camera and long telephoto lens. The Sun is [7]not
   melting, though. Its shifting and fluid appearance as it nears the
   horizon is caused as refraction along the line of sight changes and
   creates distorted images or [8]mirages of the reddened solar disk. The
   changes in atmospheric refraction correspond to [9]atmospheric layers
   with sharply different temperatures and densities. Another famous but
   fleeting effect of atmospheric refraction produced by a long sight-line
   to the setting (or rising) Sun is often called [10]the green flash.

                 Tomorrow's picture: mystic mountain monster
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    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply.
            [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility, [29]Notices;
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2604/sequenzasunsetnebida.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.busilacchi/
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-scientist-simulates-sunsets-on-other-worlds/
   6. https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.busilacchi/p/DXcZVbLjZvR/
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory
   8. https://www.atoptics.org.uk/atoptics/mmirsun.htm
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170120.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231025.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260424.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260425
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260426.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/