May 31, 2025
The universe has spent billions of years making things that shine. On your birthday, we celebrate one of its quieter masterpieces.
Afterimage Sunset
Birthday · May 31, 2025
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published May 31, 2025. Credit: Marcella Giulia Pace. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
On May 7, the Sun setting behind a church bell tower was captured in this filtered and manipulated digital skyscape from Ragusa, Sicily, planet Earth. In this version of the image the colors look bizarre. Still, an intriguing optical illusion known as an afterimage can help you experience the same scene with a more natural looking appearance. To try it, find the sunspots of active region AR4079 grouped near the bottom of the blue solar disk. Relax and stare at the dark sunspot group for about 30 seconds, then close your eyes or shift your gaze to a plain white surface. In a moment an afterimage of the sunset should faintly appear. But the afterimage sunset will have this image's complementary colors and a more normal yellow Sun against a familiar blue sky.
Image credit: Marcella Giulia Pace