Solar halo seen around the sun | News

St. Petersburg, Florida -- If you looked up to the sky around lunchtime Monday afternoon, you might have noticed what appeared to be a rainbow circling the sun!

It's a solar halo (sometimes called a 22° halo), an atmospheric condition where sunlight is refracted in hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. The result is a beautiful halo that surrounds the sun.

And if you notice any smaller balls of light near the sun within the halo, that's what is commonly known as a sun dog. Again, it's part of the same atmospheric condition that is creating the halo.

The phenomemon isn't all that uncommon, and is unrelated to the upcoming transit of Venus that will take place on Tuesday.

Got pictures? Send them to us at photos@wtsp.com

Sun Halo Wallpapers:

• iPhone resolution
• 1600 x 1200 (4:3 resolution)
• 1680 x 1050 (16:9 resolution)

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