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YOUR PHOTOS: Did you see a ring around the moon this past weekend?

It was Saturday night when the nearly full moon put on a show in the night sky.

A halo formed around it, which caused some of us to take out our phones and send pictures.

You can do so too by making your own profile on Pin It here.

These halos form when the moon (or sun during the day) light refracts or bends when passing through ice crystals. This refraction is similar to when you see a “rainbow” on your house’s floor on a sunny day.

Clouds (cirrus clouds) at the 30,000-foot level were cold enough to be composed of ice Saturday night, which led to this refraction of moonlight.

The angle at which that refraction happens is 22°, which is why you’ll often hear atmospheric scientists/meteorologists refer to this as a 22° halo.


Source: WSLS News 10

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