parhelion
- noun
- /pɑrˈhiːliən/
- Specialized
:
parhelio
- Photographers love capturing the beautiful colors of a parhelion.
Examples
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Several parhelia appeared during the cold winter afternoon.
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The parhelion was visible during our hike.
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A rare parhelion could be seen to the right of the morning sun.
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We saw a beautiful parhelion at sunset.
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On a crisp winter morning, we were mesmerized by a parhelion shimmering beside the Sun in the clear blue sky.
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As we hiked up the mountain, we spotted a parhelion forming around the Sun, a beautiful spectacle created by ice crystals.
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At sunset, the parhelion appeared, casting a bright halo on both sides of the Sun, enchanting all who watched.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A bright spot that appears next to the sun when sunlight hits ice crystals in the sky
A bright spot beside the sun when ice crystals bend sunlight
Surface Forms
Morphology
parhelion = para + heli + on
The term is historically built from Greek elements meaning 'beside the sun,' but the classical forms are not transparent to most learners and the sense is a specialized astronomical label.
Etymology
Parhelion comes from Greek parts para- 'beside' and helios 'sun', so it literally means 'beside the sun'. A helpful way to remember it is that a parhelion is a bright spot you sometimes see in the sky next to the Sun, often called a 'sundog'.