What’s A Sun Halo?
Ever seen a ghostly ring around the Sun? Read what they're all about and why they form.
Ever seen a ghostly rainbow halo around the Sun?
A Sun halo is caused by the refraction, reflection, and dispersion of light through ice particles suspended within thin, wispy, high altitude cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. As light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22° angle, creating a circular halo around the Sun. The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals also separates the light into its various color frequencies, making the halo look like a very pale rainbow, with red on the inside and blue on the outside.
Folklore tells us Sun halos can predict the weather:
A ring around the Sun or Moon
means rain or snow is coming soon.
Sundog?
Occasionally, brighter areas will form along these halos, creating a mock Sun, or “sundog.” Sundogs are known as parhelia (or the singular parhelion) to astronomers, from the Greek words meaning “beside the Sun.”
Have you ever seen a sun halo, mock sun, or other interesting sights? Share in the comments below!
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
I saw this today in New Hampshire.
Saw one today in Massachusetts.
Saw one today in Eastport Maine! Very exciting, all my grandkids saw it too.
I saw one too.
I’ve just seen one today in Montreal!
I saw one today here in the Philippines…
My Grade 4/5 class saw this one today, in Surrey, BC, Canada. The photo doesn’t really do it justice.
Saw this in Idaho Falls earlier today!
Beautiful!
Saw this yesterday in CT. I took the pic with my phone
Saw this today
Just saw one in Hyderabad,india
Today in Tillamook Oregon
Saw one today in surry maine
Got one going on at mo. Swansea South Wales.
No its not! it’s in Porthcawl! lol
Told Ya!
Saw one today 27th May in leixlip Co kildare ireland
That’s fantastic, Bob!
Saw it in Felixstowe too today!
Saw one today in Lisburn. N Ireland around 1.30 pm
Just saw a sun ring in Natchez, Mississippi.
I saw a sun ring or sun dog I live in LISTOWEL Ontario
Just saw one in waterloo,ny
Just seen my first sun halo in South West France at 14:00 20/05/2021.
Saw this today, 5-19-2021, in western kansas!
I spotted a halo yesterday in Cancun Mexico
Cancún, Mexico 5/17/21
From my deck on May 13, 2021. I knew of sun halos (only recently), but had never seen one. After an unsettling day, it felt like a gift. (photo didn’t link. )
What is the blue dot?
Anytime you take a picture of the moon or sun, people seem to get that same blue dot. It’s some sort of reflection.
Steilacoom WA
Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts
Fantastic, Cassie! Gorgeous picture.
May 3, 2021 in Melbourne FL
Fantastic, Robin, thanks for sharing!
Caught this on May 2, 2021 in West Bloomfield, Michigan
We saw this yesterday May 01,2021 in Southern California.
May 01,2021
Sunnyvale, California 04/30/2021
St George SC 4/27/21 my parents took this yesterday. I’m in RI and we had an overcast so I wasn’t able to experience this personally
Wow, this is stunning! A perfect example! Thanks for sharing!
Seattle, Washington 04/27/2021
Sun halo
Saw it today in Ranchi
This is beautiful, Pooja! Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, I saw today😊😊
Sun halo
Looking at one right now in Houghton Canal Michigan. Course picture doesn’t do it justice. Rainbow and sun dog both.
We can see it here, west of Gwinn, in the UP! Cool!
We are in Aruba and saw this 2 days ago at 2:30 pm.
It was 4/14/2021
Saw this in Scottsdale Arizona 4/11/21. Amazing
Wow, Gail that’s incredible! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! Wish you could have seen the colors
Saw this halo sun with a sun dog 4/4/21. I live in Chesterfield Michigan.
I saw this one on Easter Sunday April 3/21
Saw a sun halo today April 3, 2021 in Gravenhurst. Looked like a round rainbow
Fantastic photo, Darby!
Today march 23/21 there is a halo around the sun where I live in Alberta Canada. I have seen many of these in my life time plus many sundogs, rings around the moon and moon dogs. Each time I see one of these I am “well” I guess the word is awed. Now isn’t life beautiful.
Saw a sun halo for the first time here in Nevada City, CA. It was a God moment……..no words, just a feeling of wonder.
saw a gorgeous sun halo today in Mechanicsburg, PA. My iphone was not able to capture the picture but it was so awesome!!
Saw this today driving through VT
Saw it this afternoon….
Beautiful…
This is fantastic, Lah! A perfect capture.
Saw this yesterday it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and little shiny ice crystals were floating thru the air
Canton,Ohio
I saw this today in Fort Worth💜Crazy beautiful!💜
Well…I tried to post the pic lol..not letting me
Same here
We saw this rainbow halo around the sun today (4:30 pm CST). At first we thought it looked like a second sun to the right, then noticed the colors and a piece of rainbow to the right of the sun! It was beautiful!!
It won’t attach the photos??? 😔
Hi Shannon, feel free to share on our Facebook page.
Wonderful! Nature is amazing, isn’t it!
I saw Sun Halo on the weekend in Perth County