Rare Celestial Solar Halo Graces China's Northernmost Village | Earth Science

Rare Celestial Solar Halo Graces China's Northernmost Village | Earth Science

In the crystalline air of China's northernmost edge, where darkness claims 17 hours of each winter day, an extraordinary natural phenomenon has virtually transformed the sky into a canvas of ethereal beauty.

Beiji Village in Heilongjiang province's Mohe City, aptly named "China's North Pole," has become nature's theater for a rare double feature: a magnificent sun halo dancing in partnership with diamond dust.

Solar halos are generally created by randomly oriented ice crystals in thin, high cirrus clouds. Circular 22 degree halos like this one are visible much more often than rainbows.

Against the pristine arctic blue sky, a perfect ring of light encircles the winter sun like a celestial crown. Below, stretching toward the snow-blanketed earth, a brilliant white pillar of light pierces the frigid air, while rainbow-hued parhelia—commonly known as sundogs—shimmer on either side, creating nature's own abstract masterpiece.

Sundogs are one of the most common types of ice halo. They occur when light rays enter the side of an ice crystal and leave through another side inclined about 60 degrees to the first. Sundogs are most easily seen when the Sun is low in the sky; the halos occurring on either side of it at about 22 degrees. The part of a sundog closest to the Sun always forms a layer of red, while greens and blues form beyond that. Sundogs are visible all over the world and at any time of year, regardless of the temperature at the surface.

This rare convergence of optical phenomena arrives just as Beiji Village braces for the Dongzhi, the traditional Chinese winter solstice festival which falls on Saturday this year.

With the opening event featuring "boiling water instantly turning to ice in mid-air" amid the freezing temperatures, the Mohe Dongzhi Festival is now underway. Thousands of locals and tourists have gathered in the village to celebrate the annual festivities.

The celebration blends traditional customs, such as drinking lamb soup and eating dumplings, with lively performances and modern ice and snow attractions. The brief seven hours of daylight make such displays all the more precious.

As winter tourism continues to flourish in northern China, Beiji Village has become an increasingly popular destination for travelers.

Winter Solstice, also known as "Dongzhi" in Chinese, is the 22nd of the 24 Solar Terms on the Chinese lunar calendar. It has the shortest day and longest night of the year.

On this day, the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn, making the short daylight and long nights particularly noticeable for people living in the Northern Hemisphere.

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 1 minute, 20 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 21, 2024

#NASA #Science #Star #Sun #SolarSystem #Planet #Earth #EarthScience #Atmosphere #SolarHalo #Sunlight #CirrusClouds #AtmosphericOptics #Sundogs #MoheCity #BeijiVillage #Heilongjiang #黑龙江 #China #中国 #Photography #Astrophotography #UnitedStates #STEM #Education #HD #Video