What a circle around the moon at night. Folk signs for determining the weather by the moon. Interesting facts: what does a halo around the Sun or Moon portend?

Seeing a rainbow, most of us smile and remember our childhood when this natural phenomenon was seen for the first time. There are many signs associated with, but a multi-colored arc closing around the sun looks especially unusual and mystical. In science, this phenomenon is called a halo.

What kind of phenomenon is a rainbow around the sun?

There are many types of halos, but all are caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The appearance of the halo depends on their shape and location. The light that is reflected and refracted by ice crystals is often decomposed into a spectrum, which causes the halo to resemble a rainbow. The halo that forms around the moon has no color, because it is simply impossible to distinguish it at dusk. This phenomenon is recorded in any weather, and in cold weather the crystals are located very close to the surface of the earth and resemble shining gems, the so-called diamond dust.

The lower part of the halo can be seen against the background of the surrounding landscape if the main luminary is located low above the horizon. However, halos are not the same as crowns. The latest natural phenomenon is associated with the formation of light, foggy rings in the sky around the Sun or Moon.

What does a rainbow around the sun mean?

For those lucky enough to see this a rare event, you should expect all the best - prosperity, prosperity, good luck and love. If before this there was not the easiest period in life, then it will definitely end and everything will work out in the best possible way.

If there are such signs associated with a circular rainbow around the sun:

There are a lot of historical facts related to the halo, when this natural phenomenon helped those who saw it in some matters or, on the contrary, was interpreted as a bad sign. In particular, the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign” says that the army was finally defeated when four Suns appeared in the sky. Ivan the Terrible regarded the natural phenomenon he saw as an omen of imminent death. There are a lot of superstitions about rainbows. This belief is quite interesting: if you take a sip of water from the river where the rainbow originates, you can wish for the gender of your child. True, this applies only to those women who already have three daughters or three sons.

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, halo, like others inexplicable people attributed mystical meanings bad omens (especially for cruciform halos or 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 ordinary people. Below is short description several 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 observed 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 optical phenomenon halo, the formation of pearlescent and lenticular clouds (extremely rare) and even precipitation with living creatures (rains of frogs and fish).

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 inner side The rings are 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 having correct form(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 the luminaries in the form of a partial ring appear in unstable air masses, in areas of anticyclones (peripheral and rear). This indicates that variable weather should be expected, with strong winds and rainfall.

Large white circles with a diameter, visible at an angle of 92° near the Sun or Moon, which appear in winter, are signs of a powerful anticyclone or region near a given area high pressure. 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.

Observing a halo can serve local sign weather. Halos are always observed in cirrostratus clouds, which are usually part of the warm front cloud system. Therefore, the appearance of a halo indicates the approach of a warm front.

• What weather changes should we expect due to the passage of a warm front? First of all, the decrease and thickening of clouds and the fall of precipitation: rain, snow or sleet, depending on the time of year.
  • In summer, in established sunny weather, the passage of a warm front, accompanied by low clouds and rain, is usually perceived as worsening weather.
  • in winter, in established frosty weather, the appearance of a halo portends decrease in frost, warming due to the decrease and thickening of clouds and the transition to precipitation.
• Due to the fact that the crowns are formed on smaller cloud elements (drops or crystals) than the halo, the following conclusions can be drawn.
  • If crowns were observed at first, then they disappeared and after some time a halo appeared, then this indicates the enlargement of cloud crystals and increasing the likelihood of precipitation.
  • On the contrary, if crowns appear after the halo, it means that the elements of the cloud are evaporating and decreasing in size. Hence, the likelihood of precipitation decreases.

Source: book by Zverev S.V. In the world sunlight.

The content of the folk signs presented below may not coincide with the opinion of the author.

Folk signs

• A halo is visible around the Sun or Moon - a sign of worsening weather.
• A ring around the Moon means wind (worsening weather).
• If the crowns appear earlier and then are replaced by a halo, then the weather may worsen.
• If the halo precedes the crowns, then this can be considered a sign of improving weather.
• If white crowns appear in winter large diameter around the sun or moon, as well as pillars near the sun, or the so-called false suns, then this is a sign of continued frosty weather.
• IN American state New Hampshire has an interesting weather sign.
  If local residents They look at the sky at night and see a halo - a circle around the moon - they know that a storm will come soon. How many stars can be counted inside the halo - after so many days the storm will begin.
  Sources: A. Leokum. The Curious Book. New American Library, NY, 1978, p.17

"Myths", erroneous assumptions about haloes, incorrect names

• call diamond dust a halo. Confusion of concepts
• With light pillars and halos are different phenomena. Light pillar is one of the types of halo
• fire rainbow- name of the near-horizontal arc
• winter rainbow is the name of the halo. It is believed that the halo is visible only in winter :). Just look at this site to be convinced of the opposite
• Quote: “as the Republican Hydrometeorological Center (Moldova) assured, halo rings are safe for humans.”
• Crosses in the sky
  • At the intersection of the parhelic circle (its fragments on the sides of the sun) with a halo with a radius of 22 or 46°, crosses are formed
  • The cross, in the center of which is the sun, appears when the pillars of light intersect with the parhelic circle.
  • When crossing light pillars above/below the sun with 22 halo

Superstitions, historical facts related to halo, famous observations

Various halo phenomena have been observed in the sky for several thousand years. Arcs and pillars of light were called fire swords of angels, bloody swords, crosses (the intersection of the parhelium and the small halo, a pillar of light and the upper part of the small halo). In various archives you can find a lot of evidence of halo observations. I tried to collect the most interesting observations on this page.

A Word about Igor's Regiment

As soon as Prince Igor set out with his army on May 1, 1185, a solar eclipse occurred. “Then Igor looked at bright sun and saw that it covered him with the darkness of warriors.” But the proud princes did not turn their horses. The first battle with the Polovtsians was victorious. And then they fought for another three days. The outnumbered Cumans began to overpower the Russians. And then four suns appeared in the sky. “Black clouds are coming from the sea, they want to cover four suns ... There will be great thunder...” The spirit of the soldiers fell, the Russian army was all killed, and Igor was captured.

Ivan groznyj

The story of how Grand Duke the Muscovite perceived what he saw in the sky: “... With a trembling hand, Tsar Ivan pulled back the curtain. He looked up at the sky with frightened eyes. His face was distorted with horror: in the sky, in the dark heights, he froze cruciform heavenly sign ...
Leaning on his staff, the king went out onto the Red Porch to observe the wondrous vision that the queen had just told him about.
For a long time he silently looked at the sky, dotted with a dense scattering of stars, and at this mysterious cross, vaguely visible in the heavenly depths, and suddenly, staggering from weakness... whispered:
- This is the sign of my death. Here it is..."

Napoleon

After the fall of Napoleon in France, they watched as bright spot , which reminded many of the emperor’s triangular hat. And people regarded this as a sign of his return from exile, from the island of St. Helena.

Lowitz

The St. Petersburg scientist T. Lovitz had a chance to see and describe an interesting and funny halo (one of the types of halo was later named after him).
In one of summer days In 1790, he sketched the picture that opened before him:
two rainbow circles shone around the sun - one larger, the other smaller;
bright semi-arcs, similar to wide horns, adjoined them above and below.
The sun and rainbow circles crossed white stripe, parallel to the horizon, encircling the sky. At the intersection of this stripe with a small rainbow circle, two false suns shone; their sides facing the sun were red, and from the opposite sides stretched long luminous tails. Three similar spots were visible against the sun - on the white stripe. The sixth, very bright spot glittered on a small rainbow circle above the sun. All this remained in the sky for about five hours.

Halo from the ancient Russian chronicle

“That same summer there was a sign in the Sun. Protect yourself from the sun like circles,” the Russian chronicle reported in 1224.
A miniature was also included with the entry. And the chronicler monk, it seems, himself witnessed the phenomenon. The drawing clearly shows the sun with “circles” and four crosses around it.
Note that images of this kind are counted in chronicles different countries in dozens. if not hundreds.

“In 7293 (that is, in 1785) a sign appeared in the famous city of Yaroslavl, from the morning hours there was a middle circle until noon with three suns, and with them at noon the second circle appeared, In it there was a cross with a crown, and the sun was gloomy and under appeared in a large circle like a rainbow..."

Based on the description and picture, it can be assumed that the author observed a small halo with parhelia, then the upper and lower tangent arcs (crown) or Parry arcs appeared, light pillars that often look like crosshairs.

Six-winged seraph

Seraphim, from Hebrew - burning, luminous, flaming. In other meanings - burning, fiery. In the mythology of Judaism and Christianity, the name “seraphim” designated angels especially close to God. Probably their first and only description, from which numerous imitations came, are contained in the Book Old Testament Prophet Isaiah:

“...each of them has six wings. Each covered his face with two. He covered his legs with two. Two - I flew..."

One of the seraphim cleanses the prophet's lips by touching them with a burning coal, which he takes with tongs from the altar. The geometry of the seraphim figure, depicted, for example, by Theophanes the Greek, is quite peculiar, but upon deep examination, it turns out to be similar to a complex halo, taken in its upper quarter (a light column, a small halo, an upper tangent arc, a large halo and a zenith arc).

The picture shows a fragment of a fresco by Theophan the Greek, 1378, Novgorod, Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin.

light circles around the Moon, Sun

Optical phenomenon in the atmosphere

A natural phenomenon thanks to which you can see “three” Suns at once

Light circles, arcs, pillars, spots observed around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon

Glowing ring around celestial bodies

Optical phenomenon

Light circles around the moon

Circles around the sun

Sun, circles

Circles around the Moon

False sun

Circles around the star

Optical phenomenon around the star

Halo around the sun

Lunar halo

Halo around the star

Lunar halo

. "halo" of the luminary

Lunar "rainbow"

. "corona" of the luminary

Solar halo

Halo around the Moon

Halo around the Sun

Rainbow rings around the moon

Atmospheric phenomenon

. "halo" of the luminary

Lunar halo to rhyme with lard

Solar or lunar halo

Circles, spots observed around or near the disks of the Sun or Moon

White or iridescent light circles observed around or near the disks of the Sun and Moon

. "Crown" luminary

. "Nimbus" luminary

. "Halo" of the luminary

. Northern Lights around the Moon

Circles around the Sun

Lunar "rainbow"

Lunar "halo"

Lunar halo in rhyme with pattern

Optical phenomenon around the star

A natural phenomenon thanks to which you can see “three” Suns at once

Wed. bent, a projectile for bending arches, rims and runners: a circle is cut out in solid beams or killed by a furrow; the block, steamed in a steam oven, or underground, on which a large fire is laid out, is placed in the halo and wedged

My mother called, who is lying on the beach right now))) And she says, “I see a circle around the sun”))) I went outside, there the cirrus clouds had already covered the sun... I didn’t see...

I just recently read about it from [b])))

(Apparently the weather will worsen...)

Here:

Halo- this is the refraction and reflection of light in ice crystals of clouds upper tier; represent light or rainbow circles around the Sun or Moon (an example of a photograph of a lunar halo), separated from the luminary by a dark gap. Halos are often observed at the front of cyclones (in the cirrostratus clouds of their warm front) and can therefore serve as a sign of their approach.

Halo around the Sun in cirrostratus clouds

As a rule, halos appear as circles with a radius of 22 or 46 °, the centers of which coincide with the center of the solar (or lunar) disk. The circles are faintly colored in rainbow colors (red inside).
Halos are the surest sign of worsening weather. So, at the end of March 1988, calm, sunny spring weather settled in Moscow and the Moscow region. But one evening a halo was observed around the Moon; and the very next day the weather suddenly deteriorated.
From the book “Meteorology and Climatology” S.P. Khromov, M.A. Petrosyants: “In addition to the main halo forms, false suns are observed - slightly colored light spots on the same level with the Sun and at an angular distance from it also 22 or 46°. the main circles are sometimes joined by various tangent arcs to them.There are still unpainted vertical pillars passing through the solar disk, i.e., as if continuing it up and down, as well as an unpainted horizontal circle at the same level with the Sun.
Colored halos are explained by the refraction of light in the hexagonal prismatic crystals of ice clouds, uncolored (colorless) forms by the reflection of light from the faces of the crystals. The variety of halo shapes depends mainly on the types and movement of crystals, on the orientation of their axes in space, as well as on the height of the Sun. The 22° halo is caused by the refraction of light by the side faces of the crystals with a random orientation of their main axes in all directions. If the main axes have a predominantly vertical direction, then on both sides of the solar disk (also at a distance of 22°), instead of a light circle, two light spots appear - false suns.
The halo at 46° (and false suns at 46°) is caused by the refraction of light between the side faces and bases of the prisms, i.e. with a refractive angle of 90°.
The horizontal circle is due to the reflection of light from the side faces of vertically located crystals, and the solar column is due to the reflection of light from crystals located primarily horizontally.

In thin water clouds, consisting of small homogeneous drops (usually altocumulus clouds) and covering the disk of the luminary, due to diffraction, apparitions of the crowns. Crowns also appear in fog near artificial light sources. The main, and often the only part of the crown is light circle a small radius, closely surrounding the disk of the luminary (or an artificial light source). The circle is mainly bluish in color and only outer edge- reddish. It is also called a halo. It may be surrounded by one or more additional rings of the same, but lighter color, not adjacent to the circle and to each other. Halo radius 1-5°. It is inversely proportional to the diameters of the droplets in the cloud, so it can be used to determine the size of the droplets in the clouds.
The crowns around small artificial light sources (compared to the disks of luminaries) have richer iridescent colors."

Folk signs associated with halo:
- After the appearance of fast-moving cirrus clouds, the sky is covered with a transparent (veil-like) layer of cirrostratus clouds. They are found in circles around the Sun or Moon (a sign of worsening weather).
- A halo is visible around the Sun or Moon (a sign of worsening weather).
- In winter - white crowns of large diameter around the Sun or Moon, as well as pillars near the Sun, or so-called false suns (a sign of continued frosty weather).
- The ring around the Moon is towards the wind (worsening weather).

Let us quote the book by V.A. Mezentsev “Religious superstitions and their harm” (Moscow, 1959). Here is what is written there about the phenomena described above: “For example, what a complex and rare in its shape halo was actually observed in the spring of 1928 in the city of Bely, Smolensk region. At about 8-9 o’clock in the morning on both sides of the Sun - to the right and to the left - there were two bright, rainbow-colored false suns are visible. They had short, slightly curved whitish tails. The real Sun was in the center of the luminous circle. In addition, several luminous arcs were visible in the sky. It was these arcs that were mistaken for curves in past centuries fiery swords hanging in the sky.
And on November 28, 1947, a complex halo around the Moon was observed in the city of Poltava. The moon was in the center of the light circle. New moons, or, as they are often called, paraselenes, were also visible on the circle to the right and left; the left paraselen was brighter and had a tail. Not the entire halo circle was visible. It was brightest in its upper part and on the left. At the top of the halo circle there was a bright tangent arc.

How can such extraordinary images be created in the air? What are the reasons for this interesting natural phenomenon? Studying the appearance of halos in the sky, scientists have long noticed that they occur when the Sun is covered with a white, shiny haze - a thin veil of high cirrus clouds. Such clouds float at an altitude of 6-8 kilometers above the ground and consist of tiny ice crystals, which most often have the shape of hexagonal columns or plates. Rising and falling in air currents, ice crystals, like a mirror, reflect or, like a prism, refract the sun's rays falling on them. At the same time, reflected rays from some crystals can enter our eyes. Then we watch various shapes halo. Here is one of these forms: a light horizontal circle appears in the sky, encircling the sky parallel to the horizon. Scientists conducted special experiments and found that such a circle arises due to the reflection of sunlight from the side faces of ice hexagonal crystals floating in the air in a vertical position. The rays of the Sun fall on such a crystal, are reflected from it, like from a mirror, and fall into our eyes. But our eyes cannot detect the bending of light rays, so we see the reflected image of the Sun not where it actually is, but on a straight line coming from the eyes, and the image will be visible at the same height above the horizon as real Sun. This phenomenon is similar to how we see the image of an electric light bulb in a mirror at the same time as the electric light bulb itself. There are a lot of such vertically floating mirror crystals in the air. They all reflect the sun's rays. The mirror images of the Sun that fall into our eyes from individual crystals merge, and we see a solid light circle parallel to the horizon. Or it happens like this: The sun has just gone below the horizon, and a light column suddenly appears in the dark evening sky. This play of light, as shown by special experiments, involves ice plates floating in the atmosphere in a horizontal position. The rays of the Sun, which has just gone beyond the horizon, fall on the oscillating lower edges of such plates, are reflected and fall into the eyes of the observer. When there are many such crystals in the air, the mirror images of the Sun that come into our eyes from individual ice plates merge into one, and we see a stretched, distorted image of the solar disk beyond recognition - a luminous pillar appears in the sky. Against the background of the evening dawn, it sometimes has a reddish color. Each of us has encountered a phenomenon similar to this more than once. Remember the solar or lunar “path” on the water. Here we see exactly the same distorted reflection of the Sun or Moon, only the role of a mirror is played not by ice crystals, but by the surface of the water. Have you ever seen a light rainbow circle surrounding the Sun? This is also one of the forms of halo. It has been established that this halo is formed in cases where there are many hexagonal ice crystals in the air that refract the sun's rays like a glass prism. We do not see most of these refracted rays; they are scattered in the air. But some crystals also send directed rays into our eyes. Such crystals are located in the sky in a circle around the Sun. They all seem illuminated to us, and in this place we see a light circle, slightly colored in rainbow tones. We do not always see one or another form of halo in full in the sky. For example, in winter, when there is severe frost, two spots of light appear on both sides of the Sun. These are parts of the halo circle. In another case, only the upper part of such a circle is visible - above the Sun. In the past, it was often mistaken for a luminous crown. The same thing happens with a horizontal circle passing through the Sun. Most often, only that part of it that is adjacent to the Sun is visible; then we see in the sky, as it were, two light tails stretching to the right and left of the Sun. It is not difficult to understand how luminous crosses appear in the air. From the Sun, which is low on the horizon or has already gone beyond the horizon, a long luminous pillar stretches upward. This pillar intersects with the part of the halo circle visible above the Sun, and a large luminous cross appears in the sky. Two crosses may appear. This happens when the vertical parts of the halo circle and parts of the horizontal circle adjacent to the Sun are visible in the sky; intersecting, they give two crosses on either side of the Sun. In other cases, instead of crosses, only luminous spots are visible here, close in size to the Sun. They are called false suns. This type of halo is usually observed when the Sun is low above the horizon. Specially conducted experiments show that the formation of false suns involves hexagonal crystals, which float in the air not randomly, but so that their axes are located predominantly vertically. IN northern regions, where in general a halo is observed much more often, loafing suns can be seen dozens of times a year. They are often so bright that they are as bright as the Sun itself. This is how science explains the diverse mysterious phenomena halo and exposes religious superstitions. By studying various phenomena associated with the passage of light in the atmosphere, our scientists not only give them a scientifically correct, materialistic explanation, but also use the acquired knowledge for the development of science. Thus, observations of the crowns, which we talked about, help determine the size of ice crystals and water droplets from which various clouds are formed. Observations of crowns and halos also provide the opportunity for scientific weather prediction. So, if the crown that appears gradually decreases, precipitation can be expected. Increasing crowns, on the contrary, foreshadows the onset of dry, clear weather."