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Ed Stockard
Atmospheric optics turn sunlight into a celestial display as seen from Summit Station in Greenland on Oct. 14. Ed Stockard, one of the workers at the federally funded research station, says the display includes a halo, sun dogs, an upper tangent arc and more. "My eyelashes froze together, and my cheeks were getting nipped pretty good," Stockard writes.
Is this heaven? No, it's Greenland — lit up by a dazzling display of refracted sunlight.
These pictures are from Ed Stockard, who's part of the team at Summit Station on the peak of the Greenland ice cap. The research facility, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, serves as an observation post for the complex interactions between the atmosphere and one of the world's biggest reservoirs of ice.
The station is also an observation post for sky phenomena ranging from the northern lights to sun halos. And judging by his Flickr photo gallery, Stockard is getting an eyeful this season.
But there's more than meets the eye: Over at the Atmospheric Optics website, Les Cowley points out 11 separate optical phenomena that are on display. The combination of halos, arcs, sun dogs and a sun pillar has earned Stockard's Arctic scene a place as the Optics Picture of the Day.
You don't have to live in the Arctic to see the sun's weird effects. In midnorthern latitudes, this time of year brings misty days, and even some days when ice crystals hang in the air. That's prime time for halos, sun bows and moon bows, fog bows and more. Cowley's website guides you through all the magic that the air can provide — and for still more examples of that magic at work, click on the links below.
Ed Stockard
Buildings at Greenland's Summit Station are silhouetted by the sun and atmospheric effects.
Ed Stockard / Les Cowley / AtOptics.co.uk
A chart from the Atmospheric Optics website catalogs 11 optical effects that can be seen in Ed Stockard's fisheye-camera view of the sun at Summit Station.
More about atmospheric optics:
- Whoa! It's a quadruple rainbow!
- Optical illusions and light shows
- 'Tis the season of sky oddities
- 'Two suns' spotted in China
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered by email every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Don't let that fool you, the arctic is melting.
What has the atmospheric phenomena over the Greenland Ice Cap have to do with "the arctic is melting" comment? Nothing. Instead of looking at the most complete sun dog and assorted other atmospheric phenomena some people will take it upon yourself to ram through the global warming fear tactics. Instead of seeing the wonders of this spectacle some will use it to further agendas of lies and deceit. When will it stop? Please look at the beauty and stop putting forth stupid agendas.
Of course it is,we just came through "Summer". Wait till the planet tilts the other way. What do you burn to stay warm in the "Winter". Great photo's Alan.
Yes, the arctic is melting; and yes, it is irrelevant to this article. But Mike isn't harping on an agenda any more than Citizen is.
Citizen911: "When will it stop?"
It won't. The issue is not going away because the problem is not going away.
Citizen911 - while I agree that a remark about polar melting isn't exactly a timely response to the story and photos, I was surprised by your remark: " ... use it to further agendas of lies and deceit." Global warming, climate change, call it what you want, is for real. No lies. No deceit. FOR REAL. Check back with me in a couple of years when the polar caps are no more.
"Cross over children. All are welcome. All welcome. Go into the Light. There is peace and serenity in the Light." -Tangina
Very cool!! Sweet pics, it must have been amazing to see in person. Thanks Alan.
I live in CT, and I saw Sun Dogs the other day flanking the sun. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw!
The Fish Eye lens I am sure must have contributed to this effect? Never the less COOL PICS !
Can we move heaven to a little warmer climate ?
Cool photos .
Very cool photos .
OK , very cold photos .
Thanks .
check out tsklar on you tube some interesting stuff about atmospheric effects,do not know what to think about what he/she is implying but interesting
Absolutely awesome! I hope to see an Aurora in Alexandria, Virginia some day. This wasn't an Aurora but the sky is sure doing some unusual things these days.
get the best shades and good weed plus alot of CDs ..,.its gonna be along ride
Wow! Gorgeous photos of a phenomenon we Northern Hemisphere folks don't often see. I must chuckle, too, at the comments of those who are worrying about the earth's changes...folks, let me remind you that you just got here as a species, and this earth - all 4.5 billion years of its life - has evolved from a six-hour hellish day to a few ice ages (and we're coming out of a 4,000 year old one now) to a sad but slow parting of ways with our moon. God, I love this place!
Good pictures. I have seen this very same phenomenon in Northern Canada and got NO pictures.
Pretty cool.