If you look up into the sky today, you can see a clear halo around the sun… Tongues have been wagging about possible Biblical references and who knows?
But if you ask the scientific community, the phenomenon is not that unusual: a so-called 22 degree halo.
All we know, however, is that it is a sight to behold.
The usual warnings apply here, guys. Looking directly into the sun can seriously damage your eyesight and looking through binoculars or a camera lense can blind a person.
The official Wikipedia explanation:
Among the best-known halos is the 22° halo, often just called “halo”, which appears as a large ring around the sun or moon with a radius of about 22° (roughly the width of an outstretched hand at arm’s length). The ice crystals that cause the 22° halo are oriented semi-randomly in the atmosphere, in contrast to the horizontal orientation required for some other halos such as sun dogs and light pillars.
As a result of the optical properties of the ice crystals involved, no light is reflected towards the inside of the ring, leaving the sky noticeably darker than the sky around it, and giving it the impression of a “hole in the sky”.
DID YOU KNOW?
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