Does the Hunter’s Moon or Jaeger Moon appear as two suns in sky? Fact Check

Photos online claim to show an event called the “Hunter’s Moon” (later variants claim it is called the “Jaeger Moon”) that results in the illusion of two suns in the sky.

FALSE

Such claims have been spreading in one form or another for a number of years. In 2015, a message claimed an event called the Hunter’s Moon gave the appearance of two suns in the sky, caused by a “change of orbit” or “change of axis” depending on the version. See below –

The Miracle has happened yesterday. USA and CANADA saw two suns. This is called as Hunters Moon. Due to change of orbit the sun sets and moon rises at the same time with both being opposite to each other at a particular angle or degree moon reflects the sun so bright that it almost feels like another sun. Effects stays for couple of days

and

Today … on the border between the United States and Canada, two suns emerged, one being the real sun and the other the moon.
This phenomenon is known as Moon Hunters and happens when the earth changes axis.
The moon and the sun are born at the same time and the moon reflects the brightness of the sun with such intensity that it looks like a second sun.
So beautiful!!!

In 2019, an almost identical version spread across social media, only changing the name of the alleged event to the “Jaeger Moon”.

Today, at the border of the us and Canada, the sunrise was like this. Apparently appeared 2 Suns, one was the real sun and the other, the moon.
This phenomenon is known as the “Jaeger moon” and happens when the earth moves. The Moon and the sun go up at the same time and the moon reflects the sunlight with such great haze that it seems like a second sun…
Share it!

Both messages spread with a number of photos apparently depicting such an event, and both claim that due to the moon being at a specific angle in relation to the sun, it would reflect the sun’s light, giving the appearance of two suns in the sky.

However such claims are false, and none of these photos depict the moon reflecting the sun’s light.


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The Hunter’s Moon is a genuine celestial term, but it has nothing to do with the appearance or illusion of two suns in the sky. The Hunter’s Moon is the name given to the full moon that typically appears during the month of October, and while full moons are generally quite bright, the Hunters Moon isn’t brighter or bigger than any other typical full moon at any other time of the year. Alas, no one will be mistaking a Hunter’s Moon for a second sun in the sky.

The term Jaeger Moon that appears in later iterations of this hoax doesn’t appear to have any relevance to astronomy, though ‘Jaeger’ is German for Hunter so it may have been created when a German translation of this hoax began to spread.


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While we won’t go into every photo showed during an instance of this hoax – since there are many – photographs that appear to show two suns can be easily explained by any of the following –

“Sun dogs” – known as sun halos, or the “mock sun” – is an illusion where one of more “suns” can be seen which is caused by the refraction of ice crystals in the atmosphere.

Lens flare – is an artefact caused by light being scattered, reflected or refracted in the lens of a camera, causing – in some cases – bright spots in the resulting photo.

Digital manipulation – many photos of this ilk are the result of deliberate pranks designed to trick the viewer, using software such as Photoshop.

Whatever the explanation for a photo, none of them depict an event where the moon reflects the sun’s light to give the appearance of two suns in the sky.

Equally false (yet similar) rumours frequently spread claiming that the planet Mars will be so close to Earth as to appear like a second moon in the sky.

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