A sight of the moon
gleaming on a dark night can be mesmerizing. But to see the moon surrounded by
a halo? Majestic.
Last January 13, 2014, Filipinos
witnessed the uncommon spectacle in the sky called the “lunar halo” where the moon
is seen to be surrounded by a huge ring that looks like a halo. Many netizens
captured this majestic view and started posting pictures on different social
networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Some people referred to the
image as the “moonbow” which spread like wild fire online.
Blame It on the Cirrus Clouds
According to EarthSky.org, a lunar halo occurs “when high,
thin cirrus clouds are drifting high above your head.” There is a belief that
lunar halo is a sign of an upcoming storm since cirrus clouds arrives first before
a storm but it does not necessarily mean that a storm is really likely to happen.
All About Refraction and Reflection
The halo is caused by the ice
crystals’ refraction which is the “splitting
of light” and reflection which is the “glints of light” from the tiny ice crystals. Lunar halo,
like the rainbow, is said to be “personal”. This means that if I sit next to
you and we both look at the halo at the same time, each of us see the halo
differently or in particular.
Jupiter at Sight
If you looked more closely (probably by using telescopes or binoculars) at the sky, you
could also see the planet Jupiter under the moon, near at the bottom part of the
ring. Another spectacular view, right?
No one knows when the
next lunar halo will happen. So if you have seen it, you are lucky enough to be
one of the people who have not missed this extraordinary phenomenon of the year
by far. For those who haven’t, better watch out for the night sky!
References:
http://earthsky.org/todays-image/jupiter-airplane-and-lunar-halo-over-manila-on-january-13
http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon
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