30 January 2024
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A Kansas woman spotted an out-of-the-ordinary sight above Emporia earlier this month.
Merry Barker sent a photo of the weather phenomenon to KSNT 27 News on Jan. 18 from the Emporia area. In it, a perfect circle appears to form around the sun in the sky. So what is it?
The National Weather Service (NWS) has an answer. The odd display is known as a ‘Sun Halo’ or ’22° Halo’ and can appear around the Sun or the Moon, according to the NWS website. Kansans have spotted these events before, such as this photo of a Sun Halo taken in 2023.
A photo of a rare ‘Sun Halo’ over Kansas. (Photo Courtesy/Merry Barker)
These are formed by wispy clouds far above the Earth’s surface, often during times before rain or snow appear. Ice crystals in the atmosphere reflect light from the halos, similar to how a prism works or how a rainbow forms.
To see these displays, you have to be positioned correctly as the reflected light appears differently depending on where you are standing, according to the NWS. You can learn more about how these form, along with ‘Sundogs’ and ‘Sun Pillars,’ by clicking here.
Have you spotted a unique weather phenomenon or other unexplainable sights in the atmosphere? Send it to [email protected] to have it investigated.
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