June 3, 2021

Orangester

Originally published October 15, 2011
image by Philippe TOSI and Jean Luc DAUVERGNE, IMCCE/SP2/Obs MIDI Pyrénées

Observers often complain about the atmosphere. Seeing bounces images about in the eyepiece and around on the CCD chip, fuzzing up views. But Phillipe and Jean Luc captured the atmosphere creating such huge distortions that the results are remarkable. From the summit of Pic du Midi, temperature inversions at the distant horizon sometimes cause the Sun, and more rarely the Moon, to appeared squashed and sliced into orange layers. When we see the Moon near the horizon, layers of air with different densities act like a series of lenses that each display a horizontal sliver with a different magnification. These mirages flatten and reduce the width of layers of the Moon. At the other end of the Moon a green flash occurs. A wonderful image.

Chuck Wood

Technical Details
OCT 14, 2011, 18h14 T.U. 80 mm refractor + Canon eos 7D.

Related Links
Green flashes and much more

Yesterday's LPOD: Moiré Eye

Tomorrow's LPOD: Redder Spots

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