Why does a circle form around the moon? Halo in the sky as a natural phenomenon - description, forms and photos. Observation and classification of different types of halo

Halo is an interesting and unusual natural phenomenon. It appears as a luminous ring or halo around a bright light source. Most often this is the sun, but a similar halo can be seen around the moon (lunar halo), as well as other bright sources, such as street lamps. There are quite a few different types of halo, but at its core it has the same source - ice crystals. These crystals, most often, are located in cirrus clouds at a height of 5-10 km, but they are also found right near the ground. That's when you might see an "aura" around street lights or a halo around someone's head.

The type and shape of the halo is highly dependent on the shape and location of the crystals, and under certain conditions, even parhelion (false sun) can occur. Light passing through ice crystals is refracted and reflected at different angles. The value of this angle depends on the location of the crystals. If the halo is observed in good light conditions, then you can see the likeness of a rainbow. In fact, it's just refracted light decomposed into a spectrum. In low light, the “rainbow” cannot be seen due to the peculiarities of human vision, although in fact it is.

Disks around the sun can appear not only as a result of refraction on ice crystals, but also on water droplets that form a cloud or fog. Such discs are called crowns. They can be distinguished from halos by the fact that their radius is much smaller than that of a halo and does not exceed 5%.

I think I won’t surprise anyone if I say that in the past our ancestors endowed the halo around the sun with mystical properties and, most often, considered the appearance of such a miracle in the sky as a bad sign.

A few more photos of the sun halo:

The halo of the sun is not necessarily a single halo. There may be several.

Why is there a big circle around the moon? and got the best answer

Answer from Jika[guru]
Ring around the moon
Have you ever seen a large ghostly white ring around the moon at night?
Circles around the moon can be confusing at first. After all, we know that in reality there are no rings around the Moon, rotating in outer space at a distance of about 402,250 km from the Earth. But why then do we see a ring around the moon? And why does it appear occasionally, and not every night?
These rings are just an optical effect, a gift from our atmosphere. If you look closely, you will see that the ring is not actually white. It looks more like a dim round rainbow with a light red on the inside and a pale blue on the outside.
The ring around the moon, also known as a halo, appears when light is refracted by ice crystals in tall, cold cirrus clouds. Each hexagonal ice crystal works like a tiny prism. Ice crystals capture rays of white light and refract it, decomposing it into all colors of the spectrum.
The refracted moonlight we see in the form of a circle, because the crystals collect the light into a cone. (You are the observer and are at the top of this cone.) With both hands extended forward, the ring will usually be as wide as two of your fists. In general, it depends on the amount of light caught by the crystals. Most of the moonlight is captured and refracted at an angle of 22°, forming a small cone. But there are also larger halos, with an angle of 46 °, although not so often. Such halos form when moonlight passes through the sharper edges of the crystals.
A halo around the Moon is said to herald rain, and it often does, as it only appears on a cloudy night.
And what is surprising is that at the same time this satellite could have a twin brother.
Here is how, according to scientists, everything could happen. In that destructive race that then unfolded in our Universe, fragments of rocks circled around the newborn Sun, causing numerous terrible collisions. New planets flew into each other, pieces broke off from some astronomical bodies. This chaos continued for millions of years. And when everything finally settled down, the solar system was formed. Now nine planets, more than 50 satellites and thousands of asteroids, meteorites, meteors and comets are orbiting the Sun.
Perhaps our Moon had a dramatic, violent birth. The young Earth was very hot - so hot that molten rocks flowed in rivers of lava across its surface. According to scientists, a small protoplanet Thea (about the size of Mars) formed near the surface of the Earth. And naturally, these two planets eventually collided.
At a speed of about 40,000 km / h, the smaller planet crashed into the Earth. As a result of a giant explosion, streams of hot liquid lava surged into space.
Some of this volcanic material returned to Earth, mixed with molten rocks. But most of the material that escaped remained in space, forming a ball of hot rocks that flew in orbit around the Earth. Over thousands of years, this lump has cooled and rounded, turning into the well-known white-gray Moon.
Later, when the collision was simulated using a computer program, scientists came to a startling discovery. In 9 out of 27 simulated scenarios, two satellites formed. One of them, preserved, we today call the Moon, the second satellite had an orbit even closer to the Earth.
Computer models showed how, as a result of the action of the forces of gravity, the orbit of the satellite closest to us became unstable. Less than 100 years later, he fell to the surface of the Earth and disappeared without a trace.
If the theories are correct, then we may be walking on pieces of our moon's former brother every day.

Answer from Єantom[guru]
Superimposed sun rays falling on the surface of the Moon and rays of sunlight reflected from the surface of the Earth's satellite.

Answer from Evgeny gasnikov[guru]
Halo (great circle) around the Moon - to a change in the weather (to cold weather).

Nature is amazing and multifaceted not only by the diversity of its flora and fauna, but also by unusual, unique and fantastic phenomena. The origin of most of them is scientifically explainable. halo is one of them.

In ancient times, the halo, like other inexplicable people, attributed mystical meanings of bad omens (especially for a cruciform halo or for twins of luminaries). For example, the Tale of Igor's Campaign says that just before the offensive of the Polovtsy and the capture of the prince, "four suns shone over the Russian land." This was at that time perceived as a sign of the arrival of great trouble.

Amazing in nature

There are many phenomena, the origin of which is not entirely clear to ordinary people. Below is a brief description of a few of the more common ones.

Northern Lights - a glow that occurs when the upper ones interact with solar charged particles. Such a fantastic phenomenon can be found mainly in latitudes located closer to the poles.

Shooting stars (luminous dots sliding across the sky) are small stones or particles of cosmic substances. This spectacle can be seen on a clear night. A bright flash occurs when these pieces invade the earth's atmosphere. In certain periods, you can also see a plentiful enchanting “star rain”.

Ball lightning is one of those not entirely explainable. In addition to the shape of a ball, this lightning can take on the shape of a pear, a drop or a mushroom. Its dimensions vary from 5 cm to several meters. This phenomenon is characterized by rather unpredictable behavior and its short duration (several seconds).

Also in nature, processes such as the optical phenomenon of a halo, the formation of mother-of-pearl and biconvex clouds (extremely rare) and even precipitation with living creatures (frog and fish rains) can occur.

What is a halo?

Halo - this is the most common in the process of which luminous circles around the heavenly bodies, "false suns", various pillars and crosses appear in the sky.

In most cases, it is an ordinary circle of light. At mid-latitudes, it can appear within a few days.

The appearance of a halo, unlike other processes, has a scientific justification.

The formation of an amazing circle of light around the sun is explained by the fact that the rays of the Sun are refracted in the faces of ice crystals contained in clouds and fogs. A distinction is made between the solar halo and the lunar halo.

Variety of shapes and types

In general, a halo is a certain group of phenomena in the atmosphere, namely optical ones.

The most common halo shapes, as noted above, are as follows:

• iridescent circles beyond the circumference of the disk of the Moon or the Sun with an angular radius of 22° and 46°;
• "false Suns" (parhelia) or simply bright spots (also iridescent) on both sides of the luminaries at distances of 22 ° and 46 °;
• circumzenithal arcs;
• parhelic circles (white horizontal) that pass through the disk of the Sun;
• pillars (vertical parts of the white circle); they, in combination with parhelic circles, form a white cross.

Rainbow halos are formed when rays are refracted, while white halos are formed when they are reflected.

The halo phenomenon is sometimes confused with crowns. They are very similar in appearance, but the latter have a different origin - diffraction.

Description of the circle, varieties

Halos usually appear as rings around the Sun. Moreover, the inner side of the ring is bright and painted in a slightly reddish color.

Then the color gradually turns into light yellow, then into greenish and even blue-violet, closer to the outer part of the circle.

Sometimes the circle is not completely visible, but only part of it (most often the upper one).

There are also light arcs touching the upper or lower part of the light circle.

Quite rarely, a colorless circle appears, extending across the disk of the moon or sun parallel to the horizon. And at the points of intersection of this circle with the halo, bright spots are often seen - these are “false suns”. They are so luminous and bright that they are very reminiscent of the second sun.

Pillars and crosses, the nature of their occurrence

Halo is a phenomenal phenomenon of nature, acquiring the most bizarre forms. They are visible when there are light cirrus clouds between the observing person and the luminary planets, and high, or when ice crystals are suspended in the air as separate elements that have the correct shape (for example, in the form of a hexagonal prism).

Often there is a halo in the form of a vertical column, when the planets illuminating the Earth are very close to the horizon (above or below it). Such forms are explained by the reflection of rays precisely from the horizontal faces of ice crystals in the air. On two sides of the sun, you can sometimes see two such pillars. They are part of the halo arc when the circle is only partially visible.

It also happens that the pillars can intersect with a horizontal circle. In this case, light crosses can also appear to the gaze of a person.

Halo phenomena are very diverse. This is due to the huge number of forms of ice crystals and their most diverse arrangement in the air.

What do the halo phenomena say? omens

The appearance of various types and forms can tell about changes in the weather in the coming hours.

The appearance of a complete rainbow circle (sometimes almost invisible) near the sun or moon, which occurs when cirrus stratus clouds are present in the atmosphere, is most often a sign of the approach of a warm front, a cyclone. At the same time, the onset of windy weather is expected in about 12-20 hours. The brightness of the radiance of the circle weakens only when the clouds begin to thicken strongly.

There are white circles around the Sun (Moon) without rainbow coloring, “false suns”, pillars. In clear weather, such optical bodies appear. This phenomenon indicates further stability and the preservation of calm and sunny weather, and in winter - severe long frosts.

Circles near the luminaries in the form of a partial ring appear in unstable air masses, in the regions of anticyclones (peripheral and rear). This means that variable weather is to be expected, with strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Large diameter white circles, visible at an angle of 92 ° near the Sun or Moon, which occur in winter, are signs of a powerful anticyclone or high pressure area near this territory. In such cases, one can expect fairly stable weather, with light winds and severe frosts.

Many do not lend themselves to any scientifically based theories and explanations. People can only admire the beautiful things they see.

Halo is an understandable and colorful natural phenomenon.

Why is there a big circle around the moon? and got the best answer

Answer from Jika[guru]
Ring around the moon
Have you ever seen a large ghostly white ring around the moon at night?
Circles around the moon can be confusing at first. After all, we know that in reality there are no rings around the Moon, rotating in outer space at a distance of about 402,250 km from the Earth. But why then do we see a ring around the moon? And why does it appear occasionally, and not every night?
These rings are just an optical effect, a gift from our atmosphere. If you look closely, you will see that the ring is not actually white. It looks more like a dim round rainbow with a light red on the inside and a pale blue on the outside.
The ring around the moon, also known as a halo, appears when light is refracted by ice crystals in tall, cold cirrus clouds. Each hexagonal ice crystal works like a tiny prism. Ice crystals capture rays of white light and refract it, decomposing it into all colors of the spectrum.
The refracted moonlight we see in the form of a circle, because the crystals collect the light into a cone. (You are the observer and are at the top of this cone.) With both hands extended forward, the ring will usually be as wide as two of your fists. In general, it depends on the amount of light caught by the crystals. Most of the moonlight is captured and refracted at an angle of 22°, forming a small cone. But there are also larger halos, with an angle of 46 °, although not so often. Such halos form when moonlight passes through the sharper edges of the crystals.
A halo around the Moon is said to herald rain, and it often does, as it only appears on a cloudy night.
And what is surprising is that at the same time this satellite could have a twin brother.
Here is how, according to scientists, everything could happen. In that destructive race that then unfolded in our Universe, fragments of rocks circled around the newborn Sun, causing numerous terrible collisions. New planets flew into each other, pieces broke off from some astronomical bodies. This chaos continued for millions of years. And when everything finally settled down, the solar system was formed. Now nine planets, more than 50 satellites and thousands of asteroids, meteorites, meteors and comets are orbiting the Sun.
Perhaps our Moon had a dramatic, violent birth. The young Earth was very hot - so hot that molten rocks flowed in rivers of lava across its surface. According to scientists, a small protoplanet Thea (about the size of Mars) formed near the surface of the Earth. And naturally, these two planets eventually collided.
At a speed of about 40,000 km / h, the smaller planet crashed into the Earth. As a result of a giant explosion, streams of hot liquid lava surged into space.
Some of this volcanic material returned to Earth, mixed with molten rocks. But most of the material that escaped remained in space, forming a ball of hot rocks that flew in orbit around the Earth. Over thousands of years, this lump has cooled and rounded, turning into the well-known white-gray Moon.
Later, when the collision was simulated using a computer program, scientists came to a startling discovery. In 9 out of 27 simulated scenarios, two satellites formed. One of them, preserved, we today call the Moon, the second satellite had an orbit even closer to the Earth.
Computer models showed how, as a result of the action of the forces of gravity, the orbit of the satellite closest to us became unstable. Less than 100 years later, he fell to the surface of the Earth and disappeared without a trace.
If the theories are correct, then we may be walking on pieces of our moon's former brother every day.

Answer from Єantom[guru]
Superimposed sun rays falling on the surface of the Moon and rays of sunlight reflected from the surface of the Earth's satellite.

Answer from Evgeny gasnikov[guru]
Halo (great circle) around the Moon - to a change in the weather (to cold weather).

Seeing a rainbow, most of us smile and remember our childhood when this natural phenomenon was seen for the first time.

There are many signs associated with the rainbow, but the multi-colored arc that closes around the sun looks especially unusual and mystical. In science, this phenomenon is called a halo.

There are many types of halo, but all are caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds. It is from their shape and location that the appearance of the halo depends. The light reflected and refracted by ice crystals is often decomposed into a spectrum, which makes the halo look like a rainbow. The halo that forms around the moon has no color, because at dusk it is simply impossible to distinguish it. This phenomenon is fixed in any weather, and in frost, the crystals are located very close to the surface of the earth and resemble shining precious stones, the so-called diamond dust.

The lower part of the halo can be seen against the background of the surrounding landscape if the main luminary is located low above the horizon. However, halos are not the same as crowns. The last natural phenomenon is associated with the formation of light hazy rings in the sky around the Sun or Moon.

What does a rainbow around the sun mean?

Those who are lucky enough to see this rare phenomenon should expect all the very best - well-being, prosperity, good luck and love.

If before that it was not the easiest period in life, then it will definitely end and everything will work out in the best way. If there are such signs associated with a circular rainbow around the sun:

• if crowns appeared before the halo, then it is worth waiting for the weather to worsen and vice versa;
• if in winter white crowns of large diameter appear around the sun along with pillars near the luminary, the so-called false suns, then frosty weather will continue.

There are many historical facts related to the halo, when this natural phenomenon helped those who saw it in any business or, on the contrary, was interpreted as a bad sign.

In particular, the Tale of Igor's Campaign says that the army was finally defeated when four Suns appeared in the sky. Ivan the Terrible regarded the natural phenomenon he saw as an omen of imminent death.

There are a lot of signs about the halo

Such a belief is quite interesting: a pregnant woman who takes a sip of water from the river, where the rainbow originates from, can guess the gender of her child. True, this applies only to those women who already have three daughters or three sons.

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