Published 20:10 IST, January 6th 2020
3 suns appear in the morning sky of Chinese city, here's how
3 suns appeared in the morning sky of a Chinese city. The phenomenon was caused due to an elaborate optical illusion that required temperatures of -20 degrees.
The Chinese city of Fuyu went into the New Year with three suns. The two extra suns were not real and were in fact caused by an optical illusion called the 'sun dog' or also known as an atmospheric optical phenomenon which caused the residents to see three suns instead of one.
Three suns 'appear' in the morning sky
The residents of this Chinese town woke up to an extra special morning where they saw the sunrise with not one but three suns shining in the sky. The two extra suns stayed in the sky for about 20 minutes before they disappeared leaving only the original star behind.
The two extra suns were actually not real but caused due to an optical illusion that was only tricking the eyes of the residents. The phenomenon called 'dog suns' occurs when ice crystals form in the Earths' atmosphere. After forming they reflect sunlight from the sun and create glowing orbs that can be mistaken for suns in the sky. The glowing orbs for roughly 22 degrees to the left and right of the original sun, so you know that the one in the middle is always the real one.
For the phenomenon to occur the conditions have to be just right, the temperature has to be roughly 20 degrees below freezing and the sun has to be quite low in the sky. This incident occurred on December 31, 2019.
In a similar incident, three suns occurred in another Chinese city as well.
Updated 20:10 IST, January 6th 2020