Recently, there has been a solar halo wonder in the sky of Shenzhen. If you look closely, a beautiful sunset appears around the sun, as if wearing a "garland", like a rainbow closing, gorgeous and charming. Many netizens called it "super shocking" and "there is a surprise when they look up", and they posted pictures to explode the circle of friends.
Coincidentally, the world's only total solar eclipse in 2024 will be staged in North America on the afternoon of April 8, North American time (early morning of April 9, Beijing time). Compared with the total solar eclipse + annular solar eclipse in the Southern Hemisphere in 2023, this year's total solar eclipse is only a total eclipse, but its longest observation time is about 4 minutes and 28 seconds, which is the longest observation time since 2010.
This April is a must-see for astronomy lovers
Q: What is a solar corona?
A: Solar halo, also known as round rainbow, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon, is formed by the refraction or reflection of ice crystals when sunlight passes through cirrostratus clouds, a clear circle of light can be seen around the sun, and the color order of solar halo is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple from the inside to the outside. The solar halo phenomenon generally occurs in spring and summer. It's rare, but it's not a strange phenomenon.
Q: Will the weather change during the corona?
A: When the halo appears, it means that there is a lot of water vapor in the air. Therefore, to a certain extent, it can be said that the solar halo is a precursor to weather changes, but it does not have any supernatural foreshadowing effect.
Experts remind that although the solar halo is very gorgeous, it is not recommended to watch it with the naked eye for a long time to avoid burning the eyes.
Q: What is a solar eclipse and what are the characteristics of this North American solar eclipse?
A: When the moon moves between the earth and the sun, blocking the sun's rays, a solar eclipse occurs. This total solar eclipse only occurred in North America, and the probability of successful observation is very high, because many areas swept by the eclipse belt have cold and dry winters, high sky cleanliness index, and some areas, such as northern Mexico, are very arid and barren, which is very conducive to solar eclipse observation.
Q: Do solar eclipses always occur on the first day of the lunar calendar?
A: From the perspective of the basic principle of the formation of solar eclipses, solar eclipses always occur on the first day of the lunar calendar, that is, the first day of the lunar calendar, and the solar eclipse that occurs on April 8 in North America is exactly the first day of the third lunar month in the mainland, that is, before the crescent moon is formed.
However, not all New Moons are guaranteed to have eclipses, because the orbit of the Moon (the white path) and the orbit of the Earth (the ecliptic) are not in the same plane. The plane of the white and the plane of the ecliptic have an angle of about 5 degrees and 9 minutes.
Both the Sun and the Moon move exactly near the intersection of the white and ecliptic paths, and a solar eclipse can only form when the Sun is at a certain angle from the intersection (eclipse limit).
Q: Why are solar eclipses, comets, meteor showers and other celestial phenomena piled up in April?
A: There are some celestial phenomena that have a roughly fixed date, such as a meteor shower from the direction of the constellation, which is related to the specific position of the Earth in its orbit every year. For example, the famous Leonid meteor shower occurs around November 14-21 every year, the Geminid meteor shower occurs around December 13-14 every year, and the Lyrid meteor shower occurs from April 19 to 23 every year.
But there are also some more random celestial phenomena, such as sudden extraterrestrial visitors, comets, which may suddenly appear near the Earth, and it may be that the comets themselves suddenly increase in brightness for some reason, causing us to see them suddenly.
The return of Comet Ponz-Brooks, also known as the "Demon Comet", to the solar system in April has aroused widespread public concern. Its return is not unexpected, as the comet returns to the solar system every 71 years or so, and is considered a shorter-period comet, and on April 21 it will pass perihelion and reach its closest position to the Sun. After this month, it won't be until 2095 that people will be able to appreciate its next appearance.
As for why they came out in clusters in April of this year? Maybe it's just that the timing just overlaps. But for astronomy lovers, this April is a must-see!
Source: Global Information Broadcasting