Explanation:
Even from the top of a volcanic crater, this vista was unusual.
For one reason,
Mars was dazzlingly
bright two weeks ago, when this picture was taken, as
it was nearing its brightest time of the entire year.
Mars, on the far upper left,
is the brightest object in the above picture.
The brightness of the
red planet peaked last week near when Mars reached
opposition, the time when Earth and Mars are closest together in their orbits.
Arching across the lower part of the image is a rare lunar
fog bow.
Unlike a more commonly seen
rainbow,
which is created by sunlight reflected
prismatically
by falling rain, this
fog bow was created by
moonlight reflected by the small water
drops that compose fog.
Although most fog bows appear white,
all of the colors
of the rainbow were somehow visible here.
The above image was taken from high atop
Haleakala,
a huge volcano in Hawaii,
USA.
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