The “two suns” phenomenon occurred from 5:30 AM to around 6:30 AM this morning in Quang Ngai. The clearest image appeared around 6:00 AM. Alongside the clear, large image of the sun, there was a faint halo resembling a second sun.
This morning (March 14), the “two suns” phenomenon reappeared in Quang Ngai and was documented by residents. Specifically, Mr. Le Van Tuan, a resident of Quang Ngai City, captured and posted this phenomenon on his personal Facebook.
Image of “two suns” appearing in Quang Ngai this morning.
According to Mr. Tuan, the image appeared this morning, March 14. He captured it while standing in the VSIP Quang Ngai urban area. The “two suns” phenomenon occurred from 5:30 AM to around 6:30 AM. The clearest image was seen around 6:00 AM. In addition to the clear, large image of the sun, there was a smaller, fainter halo resembling a second sun.
Recently, the “two suns” phenomenon also appeared in Hanoi, causing a stir in the online community. Meteorological experts explained that this phenomenon occurs due to the refraction and scattering of light in the atmosphere. This creates an illusion of the sun under suitable conditions. Experts indicate that this is entirely a scientific phenomenon that frequently occurs in polar regions but is rare in other areas.
According to Mr. Dang Vu Tuan Son, President of the Vietnam Astronomical and Cosmological Society (VACA), this phenomenon results from the coincidence in the processes of scattering and reflecting sunlight. Under certain conditions, such as when the sky is cloudy, sunlight colliding with water droplets and ice crystals reflects almost entirely, creating an image of the sun, similar to its reflection on a lake’s surface.
This reflected image continues to reflect again when it encounters another layer of clouds, with only part of it being scattered. Thus, this second reflection creates an image that can be seen from the ground, resembling a second sun.
On the other hand, Mr. Vu The Hoang, Head of the Hanoi Astronomy Club (HAS), believes that when viewing the image, it makes us feel like there are two suns. However, this situation is unlikely. Ho Tay Lake has a very large area; if there were truly two suns, many angles of the image would be circulated. Instead, there is only one angle of the image.
He noted two possible scenarios. The first is due to the lens of the camera or smartphone of the person taking the photo, where they capture it through a lens that refracts, leading to the appearance of two suns. They might even use Photoshop technology to gain views. The second scenario is less common and involves refraction under clouds. A layer of clouds amplifies and refracts scattered light, creating an identical sun right below.
