Were you lucky enough to see the halo moon Saturday night?
Moon halos occur when millions of tiny ice crystals in thin clouds high up in the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere split and reflect the sun鈥檚 light bouncing off the moon. The phenomenon is fairly rare, as the ice crystals have to be positioned exactly right in relation to where you are looking up in order for the halo to appear.
According to the Farmers鈥� Almanac, the prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals separates the light into its various colours, resulting in a halo that can be tinged with very pale rainbow colours with red on the inside and blue on the outside.
鈥淲eather lore says a lunar halo is the precursor of impending unsettled weather, especially during the winter months. This is often proved true, as cirrus and cirrostratus clouds generally precede rain and storm systems,鈥� says the Farmers鈥� Almanac.
monique.Tamminga@pentictonwesternnews.com
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