Paraselene, Antares and Supermoon
October 27, 2022
Photographer: Orazio Mezzio
Summary Author: Orazio Mezzio
The photo above shows the supermoon of this past July rising above the shaded hills of central Sicily. Additionally, the bright red star Antares, a red supergiant, can also be seen rising at right center. Of special interest is the paraselene or moondog, near the head of the constellation Scorpio – the faint patch of light to the right of Antares. Like their daytime counterparts, sundogs, they’re formed when moonlight passes through hexagonal, plate-shaped ice crystals that are aligned similarly. Note that as shown here, moondogs are best observed when the Moon’s low in the sky. Photo taken on July 13, 2022.
Centuripe Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.6222, 14.7408
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