A rare atmospheric optical phenomenon called a parhelion appeared in the sky over Genhe City of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Monday with two sun dogs flanking the sun.
Sun dogs are bright, rainbow-like patches of light that appear on either side of the sun when it is low on the horizon. They are formed by sunlight bending through ice crystals in the sky, creating a colorful display.
The mock suns are a member of the family of halos which are white and colored rings in the sky and often appear on the parhelic circle, forming a perfect central symmetry with the real sun as the axis.
Genhe City is located near a latitude of 55 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. Its winter is extremely cold, often accompanied by natural wonders such as ice fog, cold auroras, and sun dogs, making it an excellent place to observe various atmospheric optical phenomena.
Rarely seen sun dogs phenomenon appears in sky over Inner Mongolia
Rarely seen sun dogs phenomenon appears in sky over Inner Mongolia
U.S. stocks ended mixed on Monday as investors weighed escalating tensions in the Middle East and their potential impact on global oil supplies.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 73.14 points or 0.15 percent to 48,904.78. The S and P 500 added 2.74 points or 0.04 percent to 6,881.62. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 80.65 points or 0.36 percent to 22,748.86.
Seven of the 11 primary S and P 500 sectors ended in the red. Consumer staples and consumer discretionary led the laggards, dropping 1.35 percent and 1.09 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the energy and industrials sectors led the gainers, advancing 1.95 percent and 0.98 percent.
U.S. crude oil prices surged during the session as market participants expressed concerns over the interruption of supplies. Crude futures traded as much as 12 percent higher at their intraday peak.
Conversely, travel-related equities faced significant downward pressure due to the spike in energy costs. Major U.S. carriers, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, declined between 2 percent and 5 percent.
In the technology sector, Nvidia gained 2.99 percent, and Microsoft rose 1.48 percent. Banking equities and economically sensitive stocks, such as Caterpillar, also managed to recover from earlier session lows to finish higher.
On the economic front, the Institute for Supply Management's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index slipped to 52.4 in February from 52.6 in January. In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed over 8 basis points to reach 4.04 percent.
US stocks close mixed amid escalating Middle East tensions
