Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • Canada
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. Canada
  3. 2021
  4. February 09
  5. Moon dog photographed at Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Moon dog photographed at Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast

February 09, 2021

Moon dog photographed at Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast

© Ben Coffman/Tandem Stills + Motio

What’s going on in this sky?

When the sky is clear, and the moon hangs low in the horizon, you can sometimes spot a halo around it, like the one captured in this image from Hug Point Falls on the Oregon coast. And sometimes within that halo, you may also see a bright spot that appears to be a second moon. No, it's not the moon's long-lost twin, but an optical phenomenon called a paraselene, more commonly referred to as a moon dog or mock moon. This 'false' moon can appear when the real moon is at least a quarter visible and is bright enough for its light to refract off hexagonal-plate-shaped ice crystals floating in the atmosphere. Moon dogs are more commonly seen in winter months, when the ice crystals are more prevalent in the clouds.

The moon dog is the lunar equivalent of a sun dog, also known as a parhelion, and both appear as part of a related optical phenomenon called a 22-degree halo. Halos like these are also caused by crystal refraction in the atmosphere, and named for their apparent radius of 22 degrees, or about 10 diameters outside the moon and sun. A 22-degree halo is said to be visible up to 100 times per year, much more common than a rainbow.

nature beach outdoor water cave landscape sky

Related Images

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern IrelandDunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Bruce Peninsula National Park, OntarioBruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario
Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland IslandsMagellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United StatesSpire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Gaztelugatxe islet at sunset, Basque Country, SpainGaztelugatxe islet at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
Ucluelet, Vancouver Island, British ColumbiaUcluelet, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Great Blue Hole, BelizeGreat Blue Hole, Belize
Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, AustraliaLake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia

Today on Bing

Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah, United States

Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah, United States

Feb 09, 2025
Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia

Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia

Feb 09, 2024
Lower Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona

Lower Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona

Feb 09, 2023
Granville Island marina in Vancouver

Granville Island marina in Vancouver

Feb 09, 2022
Boats resting between the Granville Bridge and the Burrard Bridge in False Creek, Vancouver

Boats resting between the Granville Bridge and the Burrard Bridge in False Creek, Vancouver

Feb 09, 2020
Almond orchards in bloom, Sacramento Valley, California

Almond orchards in bloom, Sacramento Valley, California

Feb 09, 2019

Related Tags

water beach outdoor sky landscape rock nature mountain cloud coast lake shore sea seascape ocean hillside cliff tree surrounded island
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
  • © 2025 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.