© Rodney ChaiA photo of an “omega sun” caused by an “inferior mirage” over the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month.
Meteorologist Rodney Chai has seen a lot. As lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vt., he has dealt with his fair share of wild weather. But when he glanced at the setting sun from the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this month, he spotted something new. Chai snapped a
photo of an "omega sun,"
also known as an "Etruscan vase." In his photo, the sun appears to have morphed into a shape reminiscent of a cartoon keyhole. The solar disc resembles a circle balanced atop another circle.
What was actually happening was
an "inferior mirage," the product of sunlight being bent upward by a layer of warm air over the water. Contrary to popular belief, mirages are not relegated to hot arid deserts, and instead frequently appear over bodies of water where air temperature varies considerably with height. That can bend, or refract, light, distorting what we see. The result? A picture-perfect peachy omega, sunny side up.
Comment: Various kinds of unusual, rare, and newly discovered, atmospheric phenomena appear to have been on the increase in recent years:
- Rare ELVE photographed during intense lightning storm over Italy
- Brocken spectre: Rare weather phenomenon captured on film by walker in Wales
- Fata Morgana? 'Ghost City' mirage filmed over lake in China
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