Solar halo in Lima: what is the reason for this event that appeared in the sky of the city this Sunday?

This Sunday, February 19, hundreds of residents of Lima were surprised by the presence of a ring around Sun in heaven, in what is called sunny halo.

Through social networks, a large number of users have shared images of this phenomenon, which even gives the appearance of a rainbow surrounding the star.

Why do sun halos form?

sun halos These are normal events.

From POT explain that “a halo is an optical effect that is usually caused by ice particles suspended in the troposphere that refract light, creating a spectrum of colors around Sun”.

Typically, they are reddish in color, while externally they are yellow, green, and light blue, or they may simply look like a rainbow.

“The ice crystals that cause them form in high-altitude clouds 5 km or more above the Earth’s surface, where the temperature is always below zero,” says Bruce Wielicki, an atmospheric scientist at the Langley Research Center. POT.

Curiously, halos are not exceptional Sunbut they can also be created around the Moon or Venus, so this phenomenon could be seen tonight.

Addition: circumzenithal arch

But many people, in addition to the halo, were able to see part of the second ring below the main one.

This phenomenon is called circular arc and, according to the World Meteorological Organization, it is a colorful semicircle that appears near the zenith and whose apex is located about 48° above the Sun.

It is brightly colored, especially red at the bottom, outside the vault, and purple at the top, that is, inside the vault. This arc only appears when the height of the light source (such as the sun) is less than 32°.

When the angular elevation of the light source is approximately 22°, the circumferential zenith touches the 46° halo, if visible. These two phenomena diverge more and more as the light source moves away from the height of 22º.

Precautionary measures

Peru’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Senamhi) had previously recommended not viewing it directly as it could damage or cause vision problems. For this, it is better to have dark glasses.

The entity also showed halo images a few days ago in other departments in Peru.

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