Solar halo over the roofs

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
06 December 2023 Wednesday 15:58
11 Reads
Solar halo over the roofs

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia

In the town of Sant Celoni (Baix Montseny), during the morning, we have been experiencing the passage of some thin clouds, as well as a little wind and a pronounced feeling of cold in the shade.

But returning to the clouds and the sun... There is an optical effect called a halo, which we have been able to witness and which I have portrayed for La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos.

This halo is formed thanks to the small ice crystals in the clouds forming a ring around the following ones. We can find halos both in the sun (solar halo) or around the moon (lunar halo).

The solar halo forms around the sun, presenting an iridescent ring on its outer circumference, due to ice crystals when there are high clouds. The halo is caused by ice particles suspended in the troposphere that refract light, generating a spectrum of colors around the Moon or Sun.

Precisely, today we had thin clouds that allowed us to see a beautiful solar halo, as can be seen in this series of snapshots that I took of the moment.