[pahr-hee-lee-uh
n, -heel-yuhn] 
[-hee-lee-uh, -heel-yuh] . Meteorology. | a bright circular spot on a solar halo; a mock sun: usually one of two or more such spots seen on opposite sides of the sun, and often accompanied by additional luminous arcs and bands. |
lion, n. use of neut. of parlios beside the sun. See par-, helio- [pahr-hi-lahy-uh-kuhl] , adjective | par·he·li·on (pär-hē'lē-ən, -hēl'yən) n. pl. par·he·li·a (-hē'lē-ə, -hēl'yə) A bright spot sometimes appearing on either side of the sun, often on a luminous ring or halo. [Latin parēlion, from Greek : para-, beside; see para-1 + hēlios, sun; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.] par·he'lic (-hē'lĭk) adj. |
| parhelion (pär-hē'lē-ən) Pronunciation Key
Plural parhelia A white spot appearing at times in the parhelic circle. White parhelia are believed to form from light that is reflected off of atmospheric ice crystals; colored parhelia are believed to form from light that is refracted by atmospheric ice crystals. Multiple parhelia can often be seen simultaneously. Compare anthelion. |
parhelion
atmospheric optical phenomenon appearing in the sky as luminous spots 22 on each side of the Sun and at the same elevation as the Sun. Usually, the edges closest to the Sun will appear reddish. Other colours are occasionally visible, but more often the outer portions of each spot appear whitish.
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