Stellar Halo over Italy

Stellar Halo over Italy

Astrophotographer Giovanni Passalacqua: "I observed this attention-getting 22-degree solar halo from Ragusa, Italy just before noon on June 5, 2024. Atmospheric halos take shape when sunlight is refracted through randomly oriented ice crystals that compose cirrus clouds. Geometry of light refracting through the 6-sided, pencil-shaped crystals dictates that halos form within about 22-degrees of the solar disk. Always use extreme caution when looking near the Sun."

Solar halos are generally created by randomly oriented ice crystals in thin, high cirrus clouds. Circular 22 degree halos like this one are visible much more often than rainbows.

Photo details: Canon EOS R camera; Canon 20 mm lens; f 16; 1/2000 second exposure; 100 ISO; single shot

Image Credit: Giovanni Passalacqua
Caption Credit: Giovanni Passalacqua: Jim Foster
Location: Ragusa, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 36.933, 14.75
Image Date: June 5, 2024
Release Date: Nov. 14, 2024

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