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Scientist calls the double sun a mirage ? albeit one that is difficult to explain with science.

Weeks after a story shot across the Web claiming that the imminent explosion of a nearby star would result in the appearance of a second sun in the sky ? a story that was later debunked ? two suns were caught on camera yesterday in China. The suns ? one fuzzy and orange, the other a crisp yellow orb ? appeared side-by-side, one slightly higher than the other.

What's going on? Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to Space.com, asked Jim Kaler, the University of Illinois astronomer who squelched the excitement over the aforementioned exploding Betelgeuse and who has written books on the day and night sky. The double sun image is an effect of optical refraction, Kaler said, but it's a "pretty darn rare" one, and one not fully explained by science.

"I doubt it's been computer modeled," he said. "There must have been some blob of atmosphere somewhere that caused this truly spectacular phenomenon, which in a sense is a mirage."

Mirages appear when particles in the atmosphere refract, or bend, light. This typically happens near the horizon, where air is thicker, though, and mirages are usually aligned vertically above or below the original source of the light ? not beside it, like in the video. It's possible, Kaler said, that an unusually thick patch of atmosphere wandered in front of the sun to create the unusual effect.

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"Thick patch of atmosphere" sounds like a bit of a grasping at straws.

Have a think about what it might be really and then come back and explain to me please Mr Scientist. I am sure you will ultimately work it out and come up with a better explanation

Either that or the sun is dividing and its the end of the world :D

There's a difference between unexplained, and not explained fully.

  On 10/03/2011 at 13:40, Co_Co said:

considering the pic came from china did anyone believe it wasn't fake in the first place...or atleast a knockoff

Video.

  On 10/03/2011 at 13:39, Teebor said:

"Thick patch of atmosphere" sounds like a bit of a grasping at straws.

Mirages say hi.

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