Sun halo over Zimbabwe

Sun halo – October, 2018 – by Ryan Vanderlinde of Zambezi Boy Photography in Zimbabwe.

Footprints Zimbabwe posted this photo to EarthSky Facebook this week and wrote:

Ryan Vanderlinde (Zambezi Boy Photography) captured the recent sun halo seen across many places in Zimbabwe. African mythology claims it is a sign of great change, while other older beliefs say it is a promise of a good rainy season.

It’s easy to see how – in Africa, where these halo are seen less frequently than at latitudes closer to either pole – they’d be associated with change. And it’s also possible to understand the part of the African belief related to rain. In western skylore, we say the same thing, this way:

Ring around the moon (or sun) means rain soon.

In fact, sun or moon halos may mean rain soon. High cirrus clouds containing ice crystals are what cause these halos, and these sorts of clouds often come before a storm.

Read more: What makes a halo around the sun or moon?

Bottom line: A 22-degree halo seen over Zimbabwe in October, 2018.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2JpmarV

Sun halo – October, 2018 – by Ryan Vanderlinde of Zambezi Boy Photography in Zimbabwe.

Footprints Zimbabwe posted this photo to EarthSky Facebook this week and wrote:

Ryan Vanderlinde (Zambezi Boy Photography) captured the recent sun halo seen across many places in Zimbabwe. African mythology claims it is a sign of great change, while other older beliefs say it is a promise of a good rainy season.

It’s easy to see how – in Africa, where these halo are seen less frequently than at latitudes closer to either pole – they’d be associated with change. And it’s also possible to understand the part of the African belief related to rain. In western skylore, we say the same thing, this way:

Ring around the moon (or sun) means rain soon.

In fact, sun or moon halos may mean rain soon. High cirrus clouds containing ice crystals are what cause these halos, and these sorts of clouds often come before a storm.

Read more: What makes a halo around the sun or moon?

Bottom line: A 22-degree halo seen over Zimbabwe in October, 2018.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2JpmarV