Sun halo occurs due to sunlight refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
A rainbow-coloured sun halo was sighted in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun on Sunday afternoon prompting the residents to record the unusual visual spectacle on their mobile phones.
The residents also uploaded it on social media where it soon became viral.
Check out some of the pictures of sun halo here:
1. Sun Halo
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A rare optic phenomenon, the sun halo appears like a rainbow encircling the sun or moon at a radius of approximately 22 degrees. (Photo: Twitter/juyal_rishita)
2. Why does it occur?
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It occurs due to sunlight refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere, Director Meteorological Centre Bikram Singh said. (Photo: Twitter/jyotsana_khatri)
3. How can one view a halo?
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A sun halo, also known as a 22-degree halo, is visible just like a rainbow when viewed from the right angle - sometimes appearing just white but often with colours of the spectrum also clearly present. (Photo: Twitter/herumbpushkar)
4. Where are halos formed?
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Halos are produced by cirrus clouds, which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds. These clouds are formed very high up in the atmosphere, over 20,000 feet.
(Photo: Twitter/jyotsana_khatri)
5. Netizens share pics
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Dehradun residents were left awed by the rainbow-coloured halo surrounding the sun and some of them shared pictures of the event. (Photo: Twitter/juyal_rishita)
