Filipinos were left awestruck as a halo around the moon was spotted in the night sky last Monday, January 13, 2013. The planet Jupiter also found its way in the photos with its special appearance inside the halo. With this, Facebook news feeds and Twitter timelines were flooded with posts and photos of the picturesque sight that was seen across the country.
So what was the hype all about? The halo, or specifically 22° halo, is a phenomenon caused by light reflected and refracted in millions of tiny ice crystals present in high altitude cirro-stratus clouds. As lights passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle (thus the 22° halo), creating a halo 22 degrees in radius.
So what was the hype all about? The halo, or specifically 22° halo, is a phenomenon caused by light reflected and refracted in millions of tiny ice crystals present in high altitude cirro-stratus clouds. As lights passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22 degree angle (thus the 22° halo), creating a halo 22 degrees in radius.
Lunar halos are mostly colorless since moonlight isn’t very
bright – colors are more noticeable in solar halos. In it, red is more
prominent on the inside and blue on the outside – this is because blue light
refracts more than red. Also, the said phenomenon usually happens in cold
months, which our country currently experiencing.
Here’s a fun fact: the said crystals have to be oriented and
positioned with respect to one’s eye. This means that everyone sees their own unique
halo, made by their own particular ice crystals which are different from the
ice crystals making the halo of the person standing next to you. Awesome, isn’t
it?
Mixed feelings were shared by the Filipino netizens because
at the same time that the posts stating how amazing and breathtaking this occurrence
is, are posts that state that this is an omen - a bad sign of a disaster coming.
Legend says that if you count the number of stars inside the lunar halo, that’s
the number of days before it will rain.
There is truth in this as high cirrus clouds often come
before a storm, but the said event does not necessarily signal a storm. But
nonetheless, there’s no harm in preparing – after all, it’s better to be safe
than sorry, right?
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