The Sun Wore Its Crown Yesterday
The peace and monotony of Saturday morning
in Costa Rica was broken yesterday when a
perfect halo formed around the sun was
visible between 10am and 12 noon.
No one knows who first spotted the halo in
Costa Rica, but news ran like wildfire and
people could be seen stepping out of their
front doors to look up to the sky, who were
met with fear and curiosity.
Many believed that "judgement day" was upon
them, commenting on national television and
printed dailies that this was a sign from
God, that the end of the world is nearing.
However, experts see it totally different.
A description on Wikipedia tells us: A halo
(ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or
Gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced
by ice crystals creating colored or white
arcs and spots in the sky.
Many are near the sun or moon but others are
elsewhere and even in the opposite part of
the sky. They can also form around
artificial lights in very cold weather when
ice crystals called diamond dust are
floating in the nearby air.
There are many types of ice halos. They are
produced by the ice crystals in cirrus
clouds high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the
upper troposphere. The particular shape and
orientation of the crystals is responsible
for the type of halo observed. Light is
reflected and refracted by the ice crystals
and may split up into colors because of
dispersion. The crystals behave like jewels,
refracting and reflecting sunlight between
their faces, sending shafts of light in
particular directions.
Atmospheric phenomena such as halos were
used as part of weather lore as an empirical
means of weather forecasting before
meteorology was developed. |
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