Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy or TIRF is an advanced microscopic technique used to visualize fluorophores in samples close to a solid surface with a higher refractive index, such as a glass coverslip. TIRF only allows fluorophores in proximity to the solid surface to be excited. When light from a medium with a lower refractive index (such as air) hits the glass coverslip at a critical angle, the light undergoes total internal reflection stead of passing through the glass.

Subatomic Particles

Subatomic Particles

Dalton was only partially correct about the particles that make up matter. All matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are composed of three smaller subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. These three particles account for the mass and the charge of an atom.

Halo Effect

Halo Effect

The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which an individual's overall impression influences judgments about their specific traits. This psychological phenomenon leads people to associate positive characteristics with those they perceive as generally good and negative characteristics with those they view as bad. This effect is particularly influential in social perception, professional evaluations, and decision-making processes.The Psychological Basis of the Halo EffectThe halo effect is rooted...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Subsuns and rainbows during solar eclipses.

Applied optics·2020

Same author

Rainbows by elliptically deformed drops. I. Möbius shift for high-order rainbows.

Applied optics·2017

Same author

Rainbows by elliptically deformed drops. II. The appearance of supernumeraries of high-order rainbows in rain showers.

Applied optics·2017

Same author

Naked eye visibility of Sirius in broad daylight.

Applied optics·2015

Same author

A note on the radiance distributions of halos due to scattering by randomly orientated crystals.

Applied optics·2015

Same author

The prodigious halo of the other Huygens.

Applied optics·2015

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

A Multimodal Wide-Field Fourier-Transform Raman Microscope

A Multimodal Wide-Field Fourier-Transform Raman Microscope

Published on: December 30, 2025

Reflection halo twins: subsun and supersun.

Gunther P Können¹, Siebren Y van der Werf

¹konnen@planet.nl

|October 22, 2011

Summary

A rare atmospheric optical phenomenon, the supersun, appears as a vertical band above the setting sun. It is caused by light reflecting off ice crystals when the sun is below the horizon, visible from high altitudes.

Area of Science:

Atmospheric optics
Meteorology
Optical phenomena

Background:

A vertical halo-like structure, termed the supersun, is observed from aircraft above the setting sun.
The supersun is the optical counterpart to the well-known subsun phenomenon.
Unlike the subsun (reflections from ice crystals illuminated from above), the supersun arises from crystals illuminated from below.

Purpose of the Study:

To explain the formation and geometrical properties of the supersun.
To investigate the conditions under which the supersun is visible.
To simulate the supersun's appearance and radiance distribution.

Main Methods:

Analysis of the geometrical optics governing light reflection from oriented ice crystals.
Utilizing an extended atmospheric ray-tracing program for simulations.

More Related Videos

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

Demonstration of a Hyperlens-integrated Microscope and Super-resolution Imaging

Demonstration of a Hyperlens-integrated Microscope and Super-resolution Imaging

Published on: September 8, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 28, 2026

A Multimodal Wide-Field Fourier-Transform Raman Microscope

A Multimodal Wide-Field Fourier-Transform Raman Microscope

Published on: December 30, 2025

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

Published on: July 1, 2019

Demonstration of a Hyperlens-integrated Microscope and Super-resolution Imaging

Demonstration of a Hyperlens-integrated Microscope and Super-resolution Imaging

Published on: September 8, 2017

Considering the effect of Earth's curvature on the reflecting crystal ensemble.

Main Results:

The supersun forms when the sun is below the true horizon and viewed from elevated positions.
Earth's curvature causes ice crystals to act as a hollow mirror, creating the supersun.
The supersun appears as a uniform vertical band extending upwards from the sun.

Conclusions:

The supersun is a distinct atmospheric halo resulting from specific ice crystal orientations and illumination.
Its visibility is contingent on observer altitude and the sun's position relative to the horizon.
Ray-tracing simulations accurately model the supersun's geometric and radiance characteristics.