Signs and superstitions. Halo - a rainbow around the sun, folk signs and superstitions What is a halo

My mother called, who is lying on the beach right now))) And she says, “I see a circle around the sun”))) I went outside, there the cirrus clouds had already covered the sun... I didn’t see...

I just recently read about it from [b])))

(Apparently the weather will worsen...)

Here:

Halo- this is the refraction and reflection of light in the ice crystals of the upper tier clouds; represent light or rainbow circles around the Sun or Moon (an example of a photograph of a lunar halo), separated from the luminary by a dark gap. Halos are often observed in the front part of cyclones (in their cirrostratus clouds). warm front) and therefore can serve as a sign of their approach.

Halo around the Sun in cirrostratus clouds

As a rule, halos appear as circles with a radius of 22 or 46 °, the centers of which coincide with the center of the solar (or lunar) disk. The circles are faintly colored in rainbow colors (red inside).
Halos are the most sure sign worsening weather. So, at the end of March 1988, calm, sunny spring weather settled in Moscow and the Moscow region. But one evening a halo was observed around the Moon; and the very next day the weather suddenly deteriorated.
From the book “Meteorology and Climatology” S.P. Khromov, M.A. Petrosyants: “In addition to the main halo forms, false suns are observed - slightly colored light spots on the same level with the Sun and at an angular distance from it also 22 or 46°. the main circles are sometimes joined by various tangent arcs to them.There are still unpainted vertical pillars passing through the solar disk, i.e., as if continuing it up and down, as well as an unpainted horizontal circle at the same level with the Sun.
Colored halos are explained by the refraction of light in the hexagonal prismatic crystals of ice clouds, uncolored (colorless) forms by the reflection of light from the faces of the crystals. The variety of halo shapes depends mainly on the types and movement of crystals, on the orientation of their axes in space, as well as on the height of the Sun. The 22° halo is caused by the refraction of light by the side faces of the crystals with a random orientation of their main axes in all directions. If the main axes have a predominantly vertical direction, then on both sides of the solar disk (also at a distance of 22°), instead of a light circle, two light spots appear - false suns.
The halo at 46° (and false suns at 46°) is caused by the refraction of light between the side faces and bases of the prisms, i.e. with a refractive angle of 90°.
The horizontal circle is due to the reflection of light from the side faces of vertically located crystals, and the solar column is due to the reflection of light from crystals located primarily horizontally.

In thin water clouds, consisting of small homogeneous drops (usually altocumulus clouds) and covering the disk of the luminary, due to diffraction, apparitions of the crowns. Crowns also appear in fog near artificial light sources. The main, and often the only part of the crown is a light circle of small radius, closely surrounding the disk of the luminary (or an artificial light source). The circle is mainly bluish in color and only on the outer edge is reddish. It is also called a halo. It may be surrounded by one or more additional rings of the same, but lighter color, not adjacent to the circle and to each other. Halo radius 1-5°. It is inversely proportional to the diameters of the droplets in the cloud, so it can be used to determine the size of the droplets in the clouds.
The crowns around small artificial light sources (compared to the disks of luminaries) have richer iridescent colors."

Folk signs associated with halo:
- After the appearance of fast-moving cirrus clouds, the sky is covered with a transparent (veil-like) layer of cirrostratus clouds. They are found in circles around the Sun or Moon (a sign of worsening weather).
- A halo is visible around the Sun or Moon (a sign of worsening weather).
- In winter - white crowns large diameter around the Sun or Moon, as well as pillars near the Sun, or so-called false suns (a sign of continued frosty weather).
- The ring around the Moon is towards the wind (worsening weather).

Let us quote the book by V.A. Mezentsev “Religious superstitions and their harm” (Moscow, 1959). Here is what is written there about the phenomena described above: “For example, what a complex and rare in its shape halo was actually observed in the spring of 1928 in the city of Bely, Smolensk region. At about 8-9 o’clock in the morning on both sides of the Sun - to the right and to the left - there were two bright, rainbow-colored false suns are visible. They had short, slightly curved whitish tails. The real Sun was in the center of the luminous circle. In addition, several luminous arcs were visible in the sky. It was these arcs that were mistaken for curves in past centuries fiery swords hanging in the sky.
And on November 28, 1947, a complex halo around the Moon was observed in the city of Poltava. The moon was in the center of the light circle. New moons, or, as they are often called, paraselenes, were also visible on the circle to the right and left; the left paraselen was brighter and had a tail. Not the entire halo circle was visible. It was brightest in its upper part and on the left. At the top of the halo circle there was a bright tangent arc.

How can such extraordinary images be obtained in the air? What are the reasons for this interesting natural phenomenon? Studying the appearance of halos in the sky, scientists have long noticed that they occur when the Sun is covered with a white, shiny haze - a thin veil of high cirrus clouds. Such clouds float at an altitude of 6-8 kilometers above the ground and consist of tiny ice crystals, which most often have the shape of hexagonal columns or plates. Rising and falling in air currents, ice crystals, like a mirror, reflect or, like a prism, refract the sun's rays falling on them. At the same time, reflected rays from some crystals can enter our eyes. Then we watch various shapes halo. Here is one of these forms: a light horizontal circle appears in the sky, encircling the sky parallel to the horizon. Scientists conducted special experiments and found that such a circle arises due to the reflection of sunlight from the side faces of ice hexagonal crystals floating in the air in a vertical position. The rays of the Sun fall on such a crystal, are reflected from it, like from a mirror, and fall into our eyes. But our eyes cannot detect the bending of light rays, so we see the reflected image of the Sun not where it actually is, but on a straight line coming from the eyes, and the image will be visible at the same height above the horizon as real Sun. This phenomenon is similar to how we see the image of an electric light bulb in a mirror at the same time as the electric light bulb itself. There are a lot of such vertically floating mirror crystals in the air. They all reflect the sun's rays. The mirror images of the Sun that fall into our eyes from individual crystals merge, and we see a solid light circle parallel to the horizon. Or it happens like this: The sun has just gone below the horizon, and a light pillar suddenly appears in the dark evening sky. This play of light, as shown by special experiments, involves ice plates floating in the atmosphere in a horizontal position. The rays of the Sun, which has just gone beyond the horizon, fall on the oscillating lower edges of such plates, are reflected and fall into the eyes of the observer. When there are many such crystals in the air, the mirror images of the Sun that come into our eyes from individual ice plates merge into one, and we see a stretched, distorted image of the solar disk beyond recognition - a luminous pillar appears in the sky. Against the background of the evening dawn, it sometimes has a reddish color. Each of us has encountered a phenomenon similar to this more than once. Remember the solar or lunar “path” on the water. Here we see exactly the same distorted reflection of the Sun or Moon, only the role of a mirror is played not by ice crystals, but by the surface of the water. Have you ever seen a light rainbow circle surrounding the Sun? This is also one of the forms of halo. It has been established that this halo is formed in cases where there are many hexagonal ice crystals in the air that refract the sun's rays like a glass prism. We do not see most of these refracted rays; they are scattered in the air. But some crystals also send directed rays into our eyes. Such crystals are located in the sky in a circle around the Sun. They all seem illuminated to us, and in this place we see a light circle, slightly colored in rainbow tones. We do not always see one or another form of halo in full in the sky. For example, in winter, when there is severe frost, two spots of light appear on both sides of the Sun. These are parts of the halo circle. Otherwise, it is only visible top part such a circle is above the Sun. In the past, it was often mistaken for a luminous crown. The same thing happens with a horizontal circle passing through the Sun. Most often, only that part of it that is adjacent to the Sun is visible; then we see in the sky, as it were, two light tails stretching to the right and left of the Sun. It is not difficult to understand how luminous crosses appear in the air. From the Sun, which is low on the horizon or has already gone beyond the horizon, a long luminous pillar stretches upward. This pillar intersects with the part of the halo circle visible above the Sun, and a large luminous cross appears in the sky. Two crosses may appear. This happens when the vertical parts of the halo circle and parts of the horizontal circle adjacent to the Sun are visible in the sky; intersecting, they give two crosses on either side of the Sun. In other cases, instead of crosses, only luminous spots are visible here, close in size to the Sun. They are called false suns. This type of halo is usually observed when the Sun is low above the horizon. Specially conducted experiments show that the formation of false suns involves hexagonal crystals, which float in the air not randomly, but so that their axes are located predominantly vertically. In the northern regions, where a halo is generally observed much more often, loafing suns can be seen dozens of times a year. They are often so bright that they are as bright as the Sun itself. This is how science explains the diverse mysterious phenomena halo and exposes religious superstitions. By studying various phenomena associated with the passage of light in the atmosphere, our scientists not only give them a scientifically correct, materialistic explanation, but also use the acquired knowledge for the development of science. Thus, observations of the crowns, which we talked about, help determine the size of ice crystals and water droplets from which various clouds are formed. Observations of crowns and halos also provide the opportunity for scientific weather prediction. So, if the crown that appears gradually decreases, precipitation can be expected. Increasing crowns, on the contrary, foreshadows the onset of dry, clear weather."

We all remember the lines of Pushkin’s poem “Frost and Sun; wonderful day!” And what so wonderful can you see in the sky on a frosty sunny day? winter morning? One of the “morning miracles” undoubtedly includes the phenomenon of a halo. The photos show what it might look like. Today we will talk about what it is, how such things appear in the sky, when and how it is best to observe it.

What is a halo?

A halo is an optical phenomenon created by tiny ice crystals in the atmosphere. Most often it looks like light circles, arcs, spots and even pillars of light around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon. Halos can also be seen around street lamps, but to create any impressive picture in the sky you need a more powerful light source. Therefore, all the most beautiful halos are observed in daylight or at dusk.

How is a halo formed?

For the fact that we sometimes observe a halo, we must thank a physical phenomenon called light refraction. Everyone has noticed a thousand times that a teaspoon dropped into a glass of water looks bent or even broken at the water-air interface. This happens because light changes its direction slightly when passing from one medium to another. The same thing happens with light when crossing the boundaries of other media, for example, ice crystals. Depending on the orientation of the crystals and the position of the Sun or Moon in the sky, different types of halos can be observed. The simplest halo that is most often observed is the twenty-two degree halo (22⁰ halo). Crystals of frozen water floating in the air are different shapes and sizes, but most often regular hexagonal rods are formed different lengths. All of them are oriented in the air completely randomly.

There are millions of such rod crystals, so there will always be ones whose axes are approximately perpendicular to the rays coming from the Sun (as in the picture).

It turns out that due to the geometric properties of regular hexagons, light passing through one of their faces will be deflected by a small angle ranging from 22 to 27 degrees, which will create a luminous circle around the Sun or Moon.

There are more than one hundred and fifty types of halos, and all of them are classified either by their position in the sky relative to the Sun, or by the name of the person who first described this type of halo. The phenomenon of parhelium stands out here. Parhelium means “false sun” in Latin.

Photo taken in Stockholm

Parhelium is just one type of halo, but it is by far the most impressive. Ice crystals are also responsible for such beauty in frosty weather, only this time not in the form of rods, but in the form of plates. All the ice crystals gradually settle to the surface of the Earth, but they are so light that the falling process can take several hours.

During such a gradual fall, or more precisely, “settling” down, most of the crystal plates line up horizontally. This rather strange behavior for plates is explained by the Bernoulli phenomenon. When the plate falls down, air flows around it from all sides. At the edges of the plate, the air flow speed is higher than in the center, and because of this, the pressure from the edges drops slightly.

It turns out that the air seems to drag the plate horizontally in all directions and prevents it from tilting. The refraction of light in such plates creates what appear to us to be satellites of the Sun in the sky.

If you are lucky, then the same phenomenon can be seen at night. A false moon, or paraselenium, is also two bright spots that appear to the left and right of the light source - the Moon. Paraselene is formed in the same way as parhelium. However, a false moon is a much rarer phenomenon than a parhelium: for its appearance it is necessary full moon. So on frosty evenings, look at the moon more often. If you see paraselena, know that such cases are one in a million.

To give you a good idea of ​​how many halos you can see in the sky at one time, take a look at this photo.

It was taken by American photographer David Hathaway at the end of October 2012. One photo can fit as many as ten different halos. Vladimir Galynsky simulated observation conditions that could give a similar picture.

Can you see a halo at the equator?

Oddly enough, a halo can be seen even in very hot countries. It may not be as beautiful and impressive as in the middle latitudes or at the North Pole, but you will definitely see a 22-degree halo. The fact is that the halo is formed mainly due to the scattering of light by ice crystals, which are located high, high in the air, where the air temperature is negative.

This photo was taken at 7am in Indonesia, just one degree of latitude from the equator.

How to observe a halo?

Look at the sky more often. Oddly enough, this is the most useful advice everyone. Even if the sky seems completely clear to you, there may still be a thin layer of clouds forming a halo, invisible at first glance.

First, look for the most common halo- by 22 degrees. By the way, if you stretch out your hand and cover it with the end thumb the center of the sun, then the protruding little finger, should be approximately at a distance of twenty-two degrees of the halo. Check if there is a tangent to the large halo (see Galynsky simulation)? Check to see if there is a small, unnoticeable parhelium? If the sun is low on the horizon, look for a skylight.

Look for rare halos. What if you get lucky? The most “common” rare halo is 46 degrees. Halo. Look for it at twice the distance from the sun than 22 degrees. It is believed that in Russia it can be seen 4-8 times a year. Look around yourself to see if there are fragments of the parhelic circle somewhere (it crosses the entire sky). Take a closer look at the area above the sun - what if there is a Parry arc lurking there that you did not notice from the very beginning?

Look for derivatives of visible halos. If you see a bright parhelium, it means there are a lot of flat, hexagonal ice crystals in the air. Such crystals form at 120 degrees. Parhelion.

Look for something unusual. Seeing different halos in the sky in large quantities, look around the entire sky, it is quite possible that you will notice something very rare. Sometimes rare halos appear on their own, without any warning.

Write everything down what they saw in a notepad or phone. Pay special attention to the time accurate to the minute, this will help you later determine the exact height of the sun above the horizon. Take photos. If you don’t have a camera at hand, then at least just sketch what you see, this can also bring a lot of benefits! What if you saw a halo that was only theoretically predicted, but no one has ever seen it?

Walk a hundred or two hundred meters to the side and look at the sky again. A halo is a phenomenon unique to each observation point. Two people of different heights standing next to each other can see different types halo. This is due to the fact that the ice crystals must be strictly oriented along the line between the observer and the sun. If you step aside, the orientation of the ice crystals in the air relative to you will become different, and you will see something new.

Good luck with your observations!

What about on other planets?

As you understand, on other planets solar system no one has ever been. Therefore, it may well turn out that in 20 years you will be the first (I wonder if girls read these stories?) to see, and then tell all of humanity what halos on other planets look like. But even now we can figure out something. To do this, you need to know what type of substances can form crystals in the atmosphere of other planets.

Mars

A halo formed by clouds of frozen CO2 and water vapor. The already familiar 22⁰ halo (inner) is surrounded by a 26⁰ halo and a 36⁰ halo, which create carbon dioxide crystals. Unusual parhelia appear.

Jupiter

A halo formed by octahedral ammonia crystals. An octahedron is two pyramids put together at their bases (may mathematicians forgive me). In such crystals, due to their geometric features, light will be refracted differently than in crystals of the water we are familiar with. The halo will be at 42⁰, and double parhelium will accompany it.

Konstantin Kudinov

Dear friends! If you liked this story and you want to keep abreast of new publications about astronautics and astronomy for children, then subscribe to news from our communities

Physics of the phenomenon

Halos usually appear around the Sun or Moon, sometimes around other powerful lights such as street lights. There are many types of halos, but they are mainly caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds at an altitude of 5-10 km in upper layers troposphere. The type of halo observed depends on the shape and arrangement of the crystals. The light reflected and refracted by ice crystals is often decomposed into a spectrum, which makes the halo look like a rainbow, however, the halo in low light conditions has low color, which is associated with the characteristics of twilight vision.

Refraction of light on ice crystals

Sometimes in frosty weather a halo is formed by crystals very close to earth's surface. In this case, the crystals resemble shining gems.

Observation and photography techniques

Since the halo is very bright (we can say that the halo is a reflection of the sun), any camera will capture it at any settings, but because of this brightness, poorly captured details are obtained: if the sun itself gets into the frame, the halo will look dim, colors will disappear.

solar pillar

Light, or solar, pillar is a vertical stripe of light extending from the sun during sunset or sunrise. The phenomenon is caused by hexagonal flat or columnar ice crystals. Flat crystals suspended in the air cause solar pillars if the sun is at a height of 6° above the horizon or behind it, columnar crystals - if the sun is at a height of 20° above the horizon. Crystals tend to take a horizontal position when falling in the air, and the appearance of the light column depends on their relative position.

see also

Notes

Literature

• Zvereva S. V. In a world of sunshine. - L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1988. - 160 p.

• M. Minnart.“Light and Color in Nature” is a fairly old book, a dozen are described various types haloes, including 46 degree parhelia, which are now considered impossible.
• Frederick K. Lutgens, Edward J. Tarbuck, Dennis Tasa The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology. - 11. - Prentice Hall, 2009. - 508 p. - ISBN 0321587332

• Alf Nyberg Himlasken och andra ljusfenomen. - Ingenjörsförlaget, 1985. - 133 p. - ISBN 9172841923

Links

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Halo" is in other dictionaries:

Halogen... Russian word stress

halo- uncl., cf. halo m. In astronomy, rainbow or white circles, spots, etc. around the Sun, Moon, resulting from the refraction or reflection of light by ice crystals upper layers atmosphere. BAS 2. The upper layers of the atmosphere were covered... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Rainbow rings appearing around the sun and moon. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. HALO rainbow rings that appear from time to time around the sun and moon. Dictionary of foreign words included in... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Unchanged; Wed [from Greek halōs circle, disk]. Astron. Rainbow or white circles, spots, etc. around the disks of the Sun and Moon, resulting from the refraction and reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the air. * * * halo (from Greek hálōs … … encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Halos) light or iridescent circles of large diameter around the sun and moon, separated from the luminary by a dark gap; are often observed in cases where the sun and moon are visible through light cirrus clouds or through a veil of fog, ... ... Marine Dictionary

Halo... (gr. hals (halos) salt) first component complex words corresponding in meaning to the word salt, for example. halophytes. New dictionary foreign words. by EdwART, 2009. halo... [Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Halo- in Antarctica. HALO, light circles, arcs, pillars, spots observed from the Earth around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon. Caused by the refraction and reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the air. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Wed. bent, a projectile for bending arches, rims and runners: a circle is cut out in solid beams or died as a furrow; the block, steamed in a steam oven, or underground, on which a large fire is laid out, is placed in the halo and jammed. Dictionary… … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

halo- A ring of light around the Sun or Moon, resulting from the refraction and reflection of light in ice crystals; haloes include colored circles, arcs, pillars, spots, etc. → Fig. 144... Dictionary of Geography

HALO, light circles, arcs, pillars, spots observed from the Earth around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon. Caused by the refraction and reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the air... Modern encyclopedia

- (from the Greek halos circle disk), light circles, arcs, pillars, spots observed around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon. Caused by the refraction and reflection of light by ice crystals suspended in the air... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The inhabitants of the Earth have observed the optical effect of a halo throughout history. In the Middle Ages, this unusually beautiful phenomenon was mistaken for the swords of angels (pillars and arcs) and for angel dust when the halo formed too close to the surface of the Earth, and its appearance resembled a scattering of precious stones. Today we will talk about scientific origin halo effect and its varieties.

What is a "halo"?

Surely, everyone knows the case when information appeared on the Internet that three suns rose at once on the territory of Chelyabinsk. IN Lately In general, there is a lot of information about the occurrence of the northern lights in areas and regions where such a phenomenon had not previously occurred. Also, many people talk about seeing a rainbow on a frosty winter day. Is it possible? Of course, many immediately began to discuss the coming end of the world, and the more superstitious started talking about the approaching Apocalypse! But all this is just fiction, all these unusual phenomena are called the “halo effect”.

The Sun or Moon can be the cause of this optical miracle, and it only happens in winter. A halo is simply the reflection of the rays of the Sun or Moon from ice crystals. These crystals are hexagonal in shape and light can pass through them in any direction, straight or oblique. Basically, the halo effect occurs at very high altitudes, in cirrostratus clouds. They form a warm cyclone, and therefore the appearance of a halo effect serves as a signal that warm weather is coming.

The difference between the halo effect and the “Solar crown”

A halo effect appears around the Sun or Moon in cold and humid weather. It represents a glow around these bodies and has a bright color. “Solar crowns,” in turn, are also a glow around the Sun, Moon, spotlights or street lamps that occurs under similar conditions, but it is still a hazy glow. These are different phenomena, although their origins are similar in nature, and they should not be confused.

What is the difference between a rainbow and a halo?

The halo effect, the photo of which you see in this article, is essentially a rainbow. But still not quite. Rainbow is formed in warm days and appears from the reflected solar (and only solar) rays in drops of water. That is, during warm summer rain or immediately after it, we can observe a rainbow. This phenomenon consists of the entire spectrum of colors, and can only be seen by turning away from the sun towards the opposite side, that is, with your back to the luminary. The rainbow always appears in one place, and the red color is located on the outer (farthest from the horizon) line. The rainbow is always the same, since the water drops differ only in size, but in the atmosphere they behave exactly the same.

The halo effect is a completely different matter! Ice crystals not only vary in size and shape, but, unlike drops, they can move freely regardless of each other: float, fall down or rotate. Thanks to this, various phenomena arise - circles, arcs, pillars, the false Sun.

A halo, unlike a rainbow, appears around the star, and not in the opposite direction from it, and can appear at night. It has only two colors - red and orange, and the first is closer to the horizon, that is, with inside. The remaining colors mix with each other and resemble a white glow. Of course, there are brighter and more spectacular halos consisting of all colors, but this phenomenon is extremely rare and is an amazing sight!

Solar halo: varieties

We looked at the origin of the halo effect, understood what it is, and how it differs from the other two optical phenomena. All that remains is to understand its varieties.

The halo effect is not only different colors, but also sizes and shapes. The most common phenomenon is located very close to the Sun or Moon, this is the so-called 22 0 halo. For the most part, it consists of two colors, red and orange, less often they are complemented by a white glow.

More a rare event- this is 46 0 halo. It is located further from the Sun and can be painted in all colors. The rarest halo effect takes up the entire sky. This phenomenon is rarely seen.

There is also a subhalo. Its origin is exactly the same as that of a halo, only it is located in the horizontal plane rather than in the vertical.

Halo effect after laser vision correction

Medicine does not stand still, and many people can once and for all forget about wearing glasses or contact lenses without surgery. Laser vision correction has become a very popular and virtually safe operation when performed by an experienced surgeon.

Some patients, after undergoing this correction, complain about the appearance of photosensitivity or even unpleasant light glare in front of the eyes, most often in dark time. This by-effect called halo, or star formation. It can greatly complicate life - with such vision it is impossible to drive a car in the dark and at dusk, since all luminous objects (lanterns, lights of oncoming cars, etc.) become like balls of light from which rays emanate, and often the road itself bifurcates . At the same time, the vision itself can be sharp and completely normal. If such an effect appears, then there is a possibility that an error was made in the correction or it was carried out with old equipment. You should contact the clinic where the operation was performed to get rid of the halo.

How to observe a halo correctly?

People who notice an unusual glow in the sky, of course, strive to take a good look at it, but the halo effect is not so safe for the eyes. When observing this phenomenon, it is necessary to protect your vision to protect it from UV radiation. In order not to damage the retina when viewing a halo, you need to arm yourself with sunglasses or cover the luminary with some object, or even with your hand. The same method should be used when photographing the phenomenon, since the photos may turn out to be of poor quality and blurry.

Watching the halo is amazing! And if you managed to see a rare multi-colored phenomenon, it will remain in your memory for a long time.

How did the halo effect affect the course of history?

We have already said that the halo was previously perceived as something supernatural, and most often it was taken for not the most good sign. So, this natural optical effect could significantly influence the entire history.

In 1551, Charles V, seeing the halo effect in the sky, refused to besiege Magdeburg. He considered this phenomenon a heavenly protection that protected the besieged and brought punishment to Karl if the siege continued.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign tells what the prince perceived solar eclipse for a sign that would cover his troops with darkness, and went into battle. The Polovtsians began to defeat Igor’s army, and then four Suns rose. Again, Igor took this as a good sign for him and did not back down. As a result, all the Russians were killed, and Igor himself was captured.

There are many such examples, and there is no point in describing them all. All that remains to be said is that the halo effect does not carry any threat or omen, it is simply beautiful a natural phenomenon.

The sky is an amazing thing, constantly changing and diverse. But how often do we turn our attention to the sky? Usually people do not notice and are not interested in what is happening in the sky. And only when strange phenomena occur in it, attention to it increases and they begin to say that the sky is giving people signs. One of these unusual natural phenomena is considered halo- light arcs or circles around the sun or moon. But where do they come from and why do they disappear as suddenly as they appear? Let's look into this issue together.

So the word " halo" comes from the Greek word " halo", which means "circle" or "disk". The closest natural phenomenon to a halo, which is familiar to us, is a rainbow, that is, the refraction of the rays of a celestial body. But unlike a rainbow, which can only be observed in daytime, standing with your back to the sun, in air saturated with moisture, a halo appears in the sky at any time of the day - around the sun or moon (and sometimes near a powerful source of artificial light).

Nature halo phenomena in the sky (5-10 km above the earth, in the upper layers of the troposphere) - refraction and decomposition into a spectrum of light rays ( dispersion) in the smallest ice crystals, as well as their reflection from the side faces or bases of these crystals, which have the shape of hexagonal columns or plates. Crystals can be different sizes and have a different nature of their origin in the atmosphere, but at the same time obey the same laws of physics - gradually fall, rotating at the same angular speed for everyone, hover motionlessly or oscillate harmoniously.

Arcs or circles forming a halo appear at a certain distance from the luminary, equidistant from the light source. Sometimes, in addition to a circle or its segments (arcs), a second one appears, located further than the first, but always at the same distance from the luminary. On these arcs and circles there may be bright spots of light - false suns or false moons. There are several of them, but they all always stand at the same height above the horizon as the star itself, and sometimes even opposite it, on the other side of the sky.

Refraction of light in the sky

If you rely on statistics of observations of the halo phenomenon in the sky, we can conclude that the appearance of a halo is characteristic of cirrostratus clouds, in which sunlight is refracted, reflected and scattered in a complex way in small crystals - hexagonal ice prisms, pyramids, columns or plates. Thanks to optical properties These crystals, which have a more regular structure than water droplets, make the halo look much more picturesque than halos and crowns. Cirrostratus clouds often herald the approach of atmospheric front, therefore, by the appearance of a halo, worsening weather can be predicted.

When the sun's rays pass through cirrostratus clouds, which consist of glacial crystals, light oblique crosses, arcs, additional (false) suns, luminous pillars from the horizon to the luminary and other pictures resembling certain objects may appear in the sky. Such phenomena were called “halos” in Russian chronicles, and now they are called solar halo.

Previously in humans the appearance of a halo in the sky caused fear and panic - they seemed like bloody swords and were interpreted as harbingers of great trouble - the start of war, famine, epidemic, etc.

On the other hand, changes in the weather, on the eve of which halos often appear in the sky, are also an unpleasant thing, especially when it comes to natural disasters.

Shapes and types of halo

The shape of the halo depends on the position of the crystals relative to each other when falling in the atmosphere, when they experience atmospheric braking and take a position at which the greatest air resistance is created. however, Brownian motion and atmospheric fluctuations interfere with this, causing small crystals to be randomly distributed in the cloud, while large columnar crystals and platelets are more susceptible to atmospheric drag due to their surface area, so they fall in an oriented manner.

Halo shapes

• Halos can most often be seen in the form circle painted with all the colors of the rainbow around the sun with an angular radius of 22°.
• Slightly less common halo in the form of concentric circles with it a second circle with an angular radius of 22° and 46°.
• And it's very rare Hevelius halo– circle 90°.
• Sometimes you can watch white horizontal circle(parhelic circle), parallel to the horizon plane and passing through the sun. At the intersection of this circle with the halo circles of 22° and 46°, bright rainbow spots appear - false suns ( parhelia), as well as false moons ( parselines).
• It also happens that only visible lower halves of the halo, and elliptical halo. Among these unusual forms there are rainbows curved into reverse side . Most likely these are the lower parts of the 46° or 90° halo circles.

Types of halo

Where and when can you see a halo

More often halo can be seen in Antarctica on its ice dome and on the slopes located at an altitude of 2700-3500 m above sea level. There they can be observed throughout the whole day, while their shape and color may change. Permanent strong winds lift clouds of loose snow with a crystalline structure into the air. The lower boundary of such snow clouds descends all the way to the ground, creating ideal conditions for the formation of a halo. In the absence of snow clouds and in bright sunlight Numerous colored and white halos with a radius of 22° and 46° appear, as well as more rare other phenomena.

Air saturated with moisture tends to crystallize when cooled. When carrying large volumes of wet air masses In the upper layers of the atmosphere over the continent, moisture condensation, crystallization and frost formation occur. During the warm season, ice crystals do not reach the surface of the earth and dissolve in the lower layers of the atmosphere, again saturating the air with moisture. Therefore, the halo phenomenon is more likely to be observed on the continental part of the continents than near the coast.

Sometimes, in frosty weather, a halo forms near the earth's surface, and ice crystals in the air sparkle like precious stones, enhancing the radiance of the halo. If the sun is low above the horizon, the lower part of the halo can sometimes be seen against the background of the surrounding landscape.

Our observations of halo in the sky

We have seen this phenomenon many times, but not every time we had a camera with us. But we especially remember two cases: when we were driving along the Dmitrovskoye Highway towards Moscow, and a spectacular solar phenomenon accompanied us almost the entire trip. And on another sunny day in Pai in Northern Thailand, we saw a very beautiful circle of light in a clear sky.

Halo in the photo

Halo in Thailand, Pai city