A spectacular phenomenon captured on video, where Seven suns appear to align in the sky over Chengdu, China, has surprised Internet users around the world after going viral on social media. This impressive event, recorded last Sunday, has generated astonishment and curiosity, although experts clarify that it is an optical illusion.
According to the criteria of
The footage, filmed by a local resident, shows multiple suns shining in the sky, a phenomenon that experts consulted by the newspaper ‘Dimsum Daily’ say is result of an effect of refraction and reflection of light in layers of glass.
“Each additional layer of glass creates another virtual image. “Sometimes, even with the same glass panel, the number of virtual images may vary depending on the viewing angle,” explained Zeng Yang, vice president of the Sichuan Amateur Astronomy Society.
Seven “suns”🌞appeared in the sky of Chengdu, SW #China‘s Sichuan on Monday. The stunning phenomenon is likely a result of light refraction and scattering. pic.twitter.com/iN4ejMlbIT
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) August 20, 2024
The phenomenon reportedly lasted for about a minute and the images captured show “upright and visibly darker” suns, features consistent with the reflection and refraction of light.
This event has captured the imagination of many on the X platform, with users expressing their fascination. “What a gem,” commented one user, while another added: “How wonderful nature is.”
What is refraction of light?
The refraction of light is a physical phenomenon that occurs when light waves pass through different media, by altering its speed and trajectory. This change is due to differences in the density of the media, such as moving from air to water, which causes a change in the direction of the light. For refraction to occur, the light must strike obliquely on the surface that separates two media with different refractive indices.
This phenomenon is responsible for some of the most impressive and everyday sights in nature, such as rainbows and mirages. In the case of rainbows, refraction occurs when sunlight passes through raindrops, dispersing into multiple colors. Mirages, on the other hand, are examples of extreme refraction, where light passes through layers of air at different temperatures, each altering the refractive index of light differently, creating amazing visual effects.
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*This content was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from O Globo (GDA), and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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