Pictures by: 

David Newcomer

The three attached photos were taken several minutes apart from about 6,000' altitude over central New Jersey in mid February.  Atmospheric conditions were strange -- there were some storm clouds over NJ and very high cirrus clouds (18,000' - 20,000') out over the Atlantic Ocean.  When I first examined these photos I thought the false image of the sun above the horizon was a "lens gremlin" in the Nikon D90.  However after posting this photo on an internet blog, I learned it is an example of a rare weather phenomenon known as a "false sunrise."  According to an experienced meteorologist who contacted me, it is one of the best photos he has ever seen of a false sunrise.

The first image of the three demonstrates the "false sunrise" (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_sunrise).  This occurs when sunlight from below the horizon reflects and refracts off of high altitude ice crystals and creates a "ghost" image of the sun before it rises.  This ghost image of the sun almost appears as if the real sun was shining through a light cloud layer or haze.  The false sunrise is actually an extremely rare form of a sun dog (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog).  You can see the false sunrise persists in the two subsequent photos even after the sun breaks the horizon. - David