A rare optical illusion caused by ‘sundog’
People of the city of Mohe, in North Eastern China had a pleasant surprise on October 15 morning. They saw three suns in the morning sky. It is one of a rare optical illusion caused by a natural phenomenon known as a ‘sundog’. A sundog happens when sunlight passes through ice crystals in a particular way when they are suspended in the air. It is a rainbow coloured splash of light often seen to the left or right of the morning sun seen in the horizon. These two bright spots seen on the left and right of the sun are called “phantom suns”.
This lasted for about three hours from 6.30 to 9.30 am. It is considered as the longest lasting sundog in recent years.