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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 February 19 Á Looking Sideways from the Parker Solar Probe
- Jyvöskylö in the Sky
- Circling the Sun
- APOD: 2023 December 20 Á Ice Halos over Bavaria
- APOD: 2023 December 11 Á Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum
- APOD: 2023 November 19 Á Space Station, Solar Prominences, Sun
- APOD: 2023 October 25 Á Gone in 60 Seconds: A Green Flash Sunset