Definition
paraselene
noun
- A bright spot that appears on a lunar halo, caused by the refraction of moonlight through ice crystals in the atmosphere; a mock moon.
Usage: Also called a mock moon or lunar parhelion.; Plural: paraselenes or paraselena.
Examples
- On a cold winter night, the astronomer observed a paraselene glowing beside the full moon.
- The paraselene appeared as a faint luminous spot within the lunar halo.
- Ice crystals in the upper atmosphere created a beautiful paraselene effect around the moon.
- Unlike a parhelion, which occurs around the sun, a paraselene is a similar optical phenomenon centered on the moon.