Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2025 April 1

A Double Sunrise from a Partial Eclipse
Video Credit & Copyright: Jason Kurth; Music: House of the Rising Sun (Sebastia McQueen via SoundCloud)

Explanation: Can the Sun appear to rise twice at the same time? This was just the case a few days ago from Les Escoumins, Quebec, Canada as our Solar System's bright central orb rose just as it was being partially eclipsed by the Moon. The featured video shows this unusual double-sunrise in real time and being reflected by the St. Lawrence River. Soon after the initial two spots of light appear over distant clouds, what appears to be bright horns become visible -- which are really just parts of the Sun not being eclipsed. Soon, the entire eclipsed Sun is visible above the horizon. In all, this broken sunrise took less than two minutes during a partial eclipse that lasted many times longer. Although the Moon circles the Earth once a month (moon-th), it does not always eclipse the Sun because its tilted orbit usually takes it above or below.

Gallery: Partial Solar Eclipse of 2025 March
Tomorrow's picture: jupiter red


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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