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Credit & Copyright: Vydor
Explanation:
Sometimes it looks like the Sun is being viewed through a large
lens.
In the above case, however, there are actually millions of lenses:
ice crystals.
As water freezes in the upper
atmosphere, small, flat, six-sided, ice crystals might be formed.
As these crystals flutter to the ground, much time is spent
with their faces flat, parallel to the ground.
An observer may pass through the same plane as
many of the falling ice crystals near
sunrise or sunset.
During this alignment, each
crystal
can act like a miniature lens,
refracting sunlight into our view.
The above image was taken near sunset last month
Winter Solstice near Nashville,
Tennessee,
USA.
Dramatically visible behind neighborhood houses and trees and above the cloud
deck is the
22 degree halo created by
sunlight reflecting off of atmospheric ice crystals.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - halo - ice crystals
Publications with words: Sun - halo - ice crystals
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 2 Á A Triangular Prominence Hovers Over the Sun
- APOD: 2024 August 18 Á A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- Glory and Fog Bow
- APOD: 2024 July 28 Á Sun Dance
- Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun
- APOD: 2024 May 28 Á Solar X Flare as Famous Active Region Returns