Nature is amazing and multifaceted not only with the diversity of its flora and fauna, but also with unusual, unique and fantastic phenomena. The origin of most of them is scientifically explainable. halo is one of them.
In ancient times, people ascribed mystical meanings of bad omens to halos, like other inexplicable things (especially for cruciform halos or for twin luminaries). For example, in the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign” it is said that just before the advance of the Polovtsians and the capture of the prince, “four suns shone over the Russian land.” At that time, this was perceived as a sign of the coming of great trouble.
Amazing in nature
There are many phenomena whose origin is not entirely clear to ordinary people. Below is a brief description of a few of the most common ones.
Northern lights are a glow that occurs when the upper lights interact with solar charged particles. This fantastic phenomenon can be found mainly in latitudes located closer to the poles.
Shooting stars (luminous points moving across the sky) are small stones or particles of cosmic substances. This spectacle can be seen on a clear night. A bright flash occurs when these pieces invade the earth's atmosphere. At certain periods you can also see abundant enchanting “star rain”.
Ball lightning is one of the not entirely explained. In addition to the shape of a ball, this lightning can take on the shape of a pear, drop or mushroom. Its dimensions vary from 5 cm to several meters. This phenomenon is characterized by rather unpredictable behavior and its short duration (several seconds).
Also in nature, processes such as the optical phenomenon of a halo, the formation of pearlescent and biconvex clouds (extremely rare) and even precipitation with living creatures (frog and fish rains) can occur.
What is a halo?
A halo is the most common one in which luminous circles around celestial bodies, “false suns”, various pillars and crosses appear in the sky.
In most cases, it is a regular circle of light. At mid-latitudes it can appear for several days.
The appearance of a halo, unlike other processes, has a scientific basis.
The formation of an amazing circle of light around the sun is explained by the fact that the sun's rays are refracted in the faces of ice crystals contained in clouds and fogs. A distinction is made between the solar halo and the lunar halo.
Variety of shapes and types
In general, a halo is a certain group of phenomena in the atmosphere, namely optical ones.
The most common forms of halo, as noted above, are the following:
- rainbow circles beyond the circumference of the disk of the Moon or the Sun with an angular radius of 22° and 46°;
- “false Suns” (parhelia) or simply bright spots (also iridescent) on both sides of the luminaries at distances of 22° and 46°;
- near-zenith arcs;
- parhelic circles (white horizontal ones) that pass through the disk of the Sun;
- pillars (vertical parts of the white circle); they, in combination with the parhelic circles, form a white cross.
Rainbow halos are formed when rays are refracted, and white halos are formed when they are reflected.
The halo phenomenon is sometimes confused with crowns. They are very similar in appearance, but the latter have a different origin - diffraction.
Description of the circle, variety
Typically, halos appear as rings around the Sun. Moreover, the inside of the ring is bright and slightly reddish in color.
Then the color gradually turns into light yellow, then greenish and even blue-violet, closer to the outer part of the circle.
Sometimes the circle is not completely visible, but only part of it (most often the upper one).
There are also light arcs touching the top or bottom of the circle of light.
Quite rarely, a colorless circle appears extending across the disk of the moon or sun parallel to the horizon. And at the points of intersection of this circle with the halo, bright spots are often visible - these are “false suns”. They are so luminous and bright that they are very reminiscent of a second sun.
Pillars and crosses, the nature of their occurrence
A halo is a phenomenal natural phenomenon that takes on the most bizarre forms. They are visible when there are light cirrus clouds, high up, between the observing person and the luminary planets, or when ice crystals are suspended in the air as separate elements of the correct shape (for example, in the form of a hexagonal prism).
A halo in the form of a vertical column is often found when the planets illuminating the Earth are very close to the horizon (above or below it). Such shapes are explained by the reflection of rays precisely from the horizontal faces of ice crystals in the air. On two sides of the sun you can sometimes see two such pillars. They are part of a halo arc where only part of the circle is visible.
It also happens that pillars can intersect with a horizontal circle. In this case, light crosses may appear to a person’s gaze.
Halo phenomena are very diverse. This is explained by the huge number of forms of ice crystals and their most diverse arrangement in the air.
What do halo phenomena indicate? Omens
The appearance of different species and forms can indicate changes in the weather in the coming hours.
The appearance of a full rainbow circle (sometimes almost invisible) near the sun or moon, which occurs when there are cirrus stratus clouds in the atmosphere, is most often a sign of the approach of a warm front, a cyclone. Windy weather is expected in about 12-20 hours. The brightness of the circle's radiance weakens only when the clouds begin to become very dense.
There are white circles around the Sun (Moon), “false suns,” and pillars without rainbow coloring. In clear weather such optical bodies appear. This phenomenon indicates further stability and preservation of calm and sunny weather, and in winter - severe, prolonged frosts.
Circles around luminaries in the form of a partial ring appear in unstable air masses, in areas of anticyclones (peripheral and rear). This means that we should expect variable weather, with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Large diameter white circles, visible at an angle of 92° near the Sun or Moon, which appear in winter, are signs of a powerful anticyclone or high pressure area near a given area. In such cases, you can expect fairly stable weather, with weak winds and severe frosts.
Many defy any scientifically based theories and explanations. People can only admire the beautiful things they see.
A halo is an understandable and colorful natural phenomenon.
Yuri Gnatyuk Halo appears in frosty weather due to the refraction and reflection of light by water crystals inside cirrus clouds - halo (from the Greek "halos" - circle)
Phenomena that occur in frosty weather due to the refraction and reflection of light by water crystals inside cirrus clouds are halo (from the Greek “halos” - circle). Halos include a whole group of phenomena: a horizontal circle, luminous rings around the sun, tangent arcs, as well as false suns and moons. In Chelyabinsk, when three suns were observed the day before, the temperature dropped to 23-25 degrees below zero.
The most common is a circle visible at 22° around the sun, less often - a circle with an angular diameter of 46° and very rarely - 90°.
For the effect to occur, several physical conditions must coincide. Typically, a halo appears on the eve of a cyclone's arrival at the observation site or when it passes at some distance. Cirrus clouds, in the crystals of which it arises, should have a vertical extent of about 1.5 km. It is stated that in St. Petersburg a halo can be observed on average once every three days, and in the American state of Wisconsin - almost every other day.
Parhelion
Wikimedia Commons Parhelium - false suns or moons that appear where the circle of a normal halo intersects a horizontal circle
A type of halo is a false sun or moon. False suns occur where the circle of a normal halo intersects with a horizontal circle. As a rule (and today's observation in Chelyabinsk is no exception), these suns are red in color on the side facing the true sun. Sometimes false suns, like today, can be observed on their own, without the usual halo.
Similar events were reflected in the literature.
Thus, in the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign” it is said that before the advance of the Polovtsians and the capture of Igor, “four suns shone over the Russian land.”
The warriors took this as a sign of impending great trouble.
Rainbow
AP A rainbow is observed due to the refraction of light rays in water droplets when the sun from behind the observer illuminates a curtain of rain located on the opposite side
The more familiar rainbow appears in the atmosphere in the form of a multi-colored arc. It is observed due to the refraction of light rays in water droplets, when the sun from behind the observer illuminates a curtain of rain located in the opposite direction. Sometimes you can see several rainbows - the main one, the secondary one and the secondary ones. You can observe a rainbow in the form of a full circle from a high mountain or while on an airplane. Aristotle mathematically proved that the sun, the location of the observer and the center of the rainbow are on the same straight line. The main rainbow is always part of a circle with a radius of 42°30", described around a straight line passing through the sun and the eye of the observer.
Therefore, as Aristotle proved, the higher the sun rises above the horizon, the lower the center of the rainbow descends.
Gloria
Wikimedia Commons Unlike the rainbow, the gloria has smaller angular dimensions, so it is almost always observed in the form of a complete circle
An optical phenomenon related to a rainbow, it appears as multi-colored concentric rings on clouds around the observer's shadow. Unlike the rainbow, the gloria has smaller angular dimensions, so it is almost always observed in the form of a full circle. Like a rainbow, it is caused by the diffraction of light in water droplets. Since it is usually difficult to see your shadow on the clouds, Gloria is often observed from an airplane or satellite. On July 24, 2011, from an altitude of 6000 km, a gloria appeared on the clouds of Venus for the first time by the Venus Express spacecraft.
Green beam
Wikimedia Commons Sometimes at sunset or sunrise you can see a green ray above the horizon
Sometimes at sunset or sunrise you can see a green ray above the horizon. The generally accepted explanation is that the appearance of the beam is due to the refraction of solar rays in the atmosphere. The effect can only be observed from places where the horizon is distant and low, and it lasts only a few seconds. Refraction (refraction) in the Earth's atmosphere raises the short-wavelength green and blue rays of the sun more strongly above the horizon. But the blue rays are scattered in the atmosphere, and we see only a green image of the star.
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 the scientific origin of the 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. Recently, there has been 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. Rainbows form on warm days and appear from the reflection of the sun's (and only the sun's) 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 in the opposite direction, 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, on the 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 examined 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 comes not only in different colors, but also in 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.
A rarer occurrence is the 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 of light sensitivity or even unpleasant light glare in front of their eyes, most often in the dark. This side effect is 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 as not a 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 that the prince took the solar eclipse as 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 pose any threat or omen, it is simply a beautiful natural phenomenon.
Most Nanai legends begin traditionally: “It was when three suns shone in the sky... One sun was large and two were smaller. And at night it was as visible as during the day...” Where does this legendary information come from? Where are its origins?
Some researchers believe that the “fairy tale” of the three suns “migrated” to the Amur from somewhere in Polynesia, during the period when paleocontacts with the islanders were being established. Others argue that the origins of these legends must be sought in the local original philosophy and folk memory of the autochthonous population. Still others simply avoid this issue.
But still? Legends are not born out of thin air. A legend is, first of all, the historical memory of the people, which is passed down through generations from mouth to mouth. Then “three suns” is an event that was once a reality? That is, one thing, our Sun is Helio, around which, as proven by astronomical science, our planet Earth revolves. What are the other two?
In the legends of not only the peoples of the Amur River, but also in other places on the globe, there are stories that also begin with “three suns.” For example, the Dogon, living in the east of the African continent (Tanzania), have a valley where a diagram of our solar system is laid out with stone blocks, consisting not of 9, but of 12 or 13 “main” large planets. Moreover, starting from Jupiter, the “wards of the Sun” are indicated by boulders made of stone of greater mass than the “small” planets. And the further from the center of the system, the greater their mass. The legends of the ancient Dogon also tell that once their ancestors lived under the constellation of three suns, and the Southern Cross, which hangs above them, like our Triton (the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), was visible only in the mornings and evenings above the horizon.
The ancient Sumerians, three and a half thousand years ago, wrote in cuneiform on clay tablets that they “saw” an “invisible planet” between Mars and Jupiter, and immediately after that there was a “flood” for “six days and six nights.”
Ancient Chinese sources claim that the earth was once “shocked”, the Sun, Earth, Moon and stars “changed” their path, the Celestial Empire “went south”, and the sky began to “fall” to the north.
Among the ancient aborigines of the Lower Amur, one of the legends contains information indicating that “the sky and earth were mixed up” and “turned” at a time when “the Huns fought the people of the Amur” and “a star shone during the day, which was visible through the black clouds of fires "
Or here is another hypothesis that appeared quite recently on the pages of the press: the North Pole “moved” from Canada about 10 thousand years ago, the glacier captured half of Europe, and the growing Taimyr glacial shell pushed the Pratungus tribes south, to Primorye and the Amur region from near Yakutsk. There is also other information, sometimes scattered, some of which is scientifically substantiated today, about individual periodic catastrophes on Earth through approximately the same chronological framework. They are echoed by the legend about the once “dead” Phaeton - the “ancestral home of humanity.”
And here is another scientific hypothesis of the Russian astronomer Lyudmila Konstantinova, known in her scientific circles for her non-standard approaches to everyday problems. She believes that the solar system has not 9, but 12 (possibly 13 or more) planets. But the most interesting thing about this hypothesis is that two, and maybe three planets in the solar system are stars. They were even given names: Phaethon, Milius and Transpluto. Is this where the answer to the riddle of the three suns lies?
Astronomical science teaches that the “birth” of a new star from a cold planetary mass occurs through an explosion, but with a loss of ten percent of its original mass. This “loss,” as L. Konstantinova further points out, then becomes the asteroid belt. In her opinion, there are two such belts in the Solar System. The first, long known in astronomical science, is located between Mars and Jupiter. The second belt, as the scientist’s calculations show, is located behind Jupiter. The existence of such a star “closest” to us has been “virtually proven.” This is the same Phaeton that was considered “dead.”
L. Konstantinova, based on calculations, also believes that the period of Phaeton’s revolution around the Sun in an elongated elliptical orbit is 2800 years. And when Phaeton approaches the point of maximum approach to the Sun, it should be clearly visible from the Earth. This is probably the second “small” sun that the Amur natives saw through the “clouds of fires”. This is probably where the ancient Sumerians, Chinese, Dogons and Pratunguses got information about the “quake of the Earth”, the flood, the “fall of the Celestial Empire” and the glow of a new star-sun. Perhaps here it is, the “second” sun, which “shone at night” as during the day, and left “traces” of its presence with the touches of legends in the historical memory of peoples. And not only.
What kind of star was that, according to the Bible, at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ, first “walked across the sky,” “flashed” during the day and went in the opposite direction? Is it possible?
Phaeton? But, according to calculations, at this time it should be at the point furthest from the Sun, and should not be visible from the Earth. Based on the laws of motion of astronomical bodies:
Firstly, this is possible due to the different speeds and radii of rotation of the planets around the Sun: our planet first “caught up” with this star due to its higher radial speed, then, finding itself on the “same line” with it, the star “stopped” for some for a very short time, “it flashed and began to “go back”;
Secondly, we must assume that it was some other star that “orbits nearby” around our Sun. Perhaps this same star was the “third” sun?
By the way, according to the author of the hypothesis, under the influence of stars, or more precisely, their additional energy “irradiation,” especially gifted people are born during such periods. And this is not only the opinion of L. Konstantinova; many geneticists also share a similar opinion.
Thus, in addition to the Sun - Helio, two more suns - “small”, legendary ones “appeared” on the horizon.
In 1988, L. Konstantinova managed to calculate another star revolving in orbit around the Sun behind Jupiter, and this satellite star was given the name Milius. The orbital “circle” of Milius is 1400 years. Both of these stars are currently not visible in a telescope due to their distance, “small” glow and “small” volume in accordance with the distance from the researcher. It can be assumed, as L. Konstantinova believes, that the appearance of such “wanderers” near the Earth is not so frequent, and therefore they can remain “undetected” in such ancient times.”
With her hypothesis, L. Konstantinova “contradicts” school textbooks on astronomy, but once again confirms the correctness of Newton’s law: the further a planet is from the Sun, the greater its mass, and therefore the greater its energy potential (this is what leads to distant elliptical orbits) it possesses. The author of the hypothesis calculated that Pluto belongs to the “large” planets, with a greater mass than Jupiter, and with a greater “elongated orbit.” Behind Pluto, at a sufficient distance, in an even more elongated orbit, rushes the next larger, “heavier” planet, or rather, a star, which Russian and American astronomers have long “calculated.” This planet (star) received the temporary name Transpluto, which means “beyond Pluto.” Its period of revolution around the Sun is 600 years.
Thus, with a pencil in hand, you can approximately calculate when three suns shone in the sky and which of them was the “third”. So the cosmic reasons for the death of previous “civilizations”, mammoths, the fragmentation of Europe and Ancient Rus', the Great Troubles, revolutions and crises, popular activity and passivity, the birth of geniuses and the rise of cultures “manifest.”
At the crossroads of numbers, legends and hypotheses of scientists come to life, “traces” in the solar system, to the beginning of the next of which time has brought us. And these “traces” at the “crossroads” of meetings of three (four) planet-stars remained in the overall picture of the past and speak for themselves:
1270 BC e. - the death of the Mu continent in the Pacific Ocean, a change in the geographic pole of the Earth, the movement of the equator from the Amur region to its modern line;
9900 (9700) years BC e. - the death of Atlantis, changes in the geographic North Pole, the icing of Europe, the growth of the Taimyr ice shell, the resettlement of the Pratungus in the Amur region and Primorye, the death of mammoths;
7100 BC e. - melting of glaciers of the North and South, destruction of the civilizations of Ancient India, its practical death, flood;
1500 BC e. - Santorini tragedy, the death of the Aegean civilization, the “fall of the sky,” the flood. “Three suns are shining in the sky,” the water in the Amur has changed its course.
It should be noted that this “crossroads” of the meeting, according to calculations, when Phaethon and Milius “took part” in the “big” parade of the planets;
1300 BC e. - the flood, volcanism, and tsunami that washed away the coastline of the Japanese islands and northeastern and central Africa remained in people's memory.
The “next”, “incomplete” parade of planets took place in 1200 - 1300. “Visiting” the major planets Transpluto and its “colors” - the death of the Far Eastern Jurchen civilization, the sky is “covered with dust”, “dark days”, tsunamis, volcanism.
According to calculations, three suns will appear in the sky again in 4100, just like the “last” time - in 1500 BC. e. This is, most likely, the time when three suns shone in the sky - Helio, Phaeton and Milius. That's when the legend was born.
What kind of star “shone” in the sky on the birthday of Jesus Christ? Calculations show that it was Milius, since Phaethon was no longer visible for a long time, and Transpluto “visited” as much as 100 years earlier.
Oksana GAINUTDINOVA,
student of the history department of Komsomolsk-on-Amur State Pedagogical University
The refraction of sunlight in the atmosphere gives rise to many optical illusions that can be observed from Earth with the naked eye. One of the most spectacular phenomena of this kind is the solar halo. This phenomenon has many varieties, each of which is beautiful in its own way. But for any type of optical illusion to occur, a certain set of conditions is necessary.
So, what is a solar halo and why does it appear? First, let's answer the first question. Essentially, a halo is a rainbow around the sun. However, it differs from a regular rainbow both in appearance and in its characteristics.
A halo appears in the sky due to a combination of several factors. Most often it is observed in frosty weather in conditions of high humidity. There are a large number of ice crystals in the air. Passing through them, sunlight is refracted in a special way, forming an arc around the Sun.
Do not confuse haloes with “solar crowns”. The latter are areas of hazy glow located around the Sun, Moon or other bright sources of light - for example, street lamps and floodlights.
Despite some external similarities with a rainbow, the solar halo has a number of differences from it. The first of them is that a rainbow is usually observed while standing with your back to the luminary. And haloes only appear around the Sun, with the exception of a few extremely rare varieties.
In a rainbow, you can most often observe the entire spectrum of colors, from red to purple. The solar halo is usually colored only in red and orange tones. The remaining colors of the spectrum mix with each other and therefore appear white. However, it is very rare to observe a halo in which all the colors of the spectrum are distinguished. This is a very spectacular sight.
For a rainbow, the red spectrum is located on the outer side (farthest from the horizon). In a halo, it is as close as possible to the center, that is, to the Sun.
The main difference between a rainbow and a halo is that we see a rainbow as a result of the refraction of light in drops of water. These droplets always look and behave the same in the atmosphere; only their sizes can differ. A completely different matter is the ice crystals in which the light of the Sun is refracted during the observation of the halo. They can have a wide variety of shapes and sizes. And crystals can move in completely different ways - soar calmly, fall down, rotate, etc. The result of this is a variety of types of solar halo.
Varieties of solar halo
So, we have learned what a solar halo is and what are the reasons for its appearance. Now let's look at its main types.
The solar halo varies in its location in the sky relative to the Sun. Most often, you can observe halos located close to the star - the so-called 22-degree halos. Less common are halos located at an angle of 46 degrees or more relative to the Sun, and the rarest are its varieties that occupy the entire sky.
Based on their color, halos are divided into white (light, colorless), red-orange and full spectrum. The most common 22 degree halos are usually only colored red, orange and white. Halos can be located not only in the vertical, but also in the horizontal plane. They are called subhalos.
People's attitude towards halo
In the past, this phenomenon created fear and panic among people. Due to the insufficient development of science, people did not know that their eyes were seeing an optical illusion, and considered the halo an unkind sign, especially if it was accompanied by parhelia (light spots that look like the Sun and are located next to it). Sometimes the appearance of a halo became the reason for making important political decisions. One of the most striking examples is the refusal of Emperor Charles V to siege Magdeburg in 1551. Seeing a halo with a false sun over the city, he considered it a symbol of heavenly protection for the besieged.
How to look at a solar halo correctly
A halo is an unusual optical phenomenon that always attracts people's attention. But in order to enjoy its beauty without unpleasant consequences, you need not only to know what a solar halo is, but also to understand the danger it poses to the organs of vision. Sunlight refracted through ice crystals is too bright for our eyes. Therefore, it is best to watch the halo with sunglasses. It makes more sense to use high-quality glasses with a high level of protection against UV radiation for this (as well as for exposure to the sun in any other conditions). Looking at the halo, it is best to cover the sun with some object or, for example, a palm. The same should be done when photographing this phenomenon. Otherwise, the image may not be clear enough.