Bengaluru witnesses rare atmospheric phenomenon ‘Sun Halo’
India’s tech hub witnessed an optical phenomenon - Sun Halo or a rainbowcoloured ring around the sun across Bengaluru on Monday, which brightened up the day with several people on social media sharing pictures and funny captions with it.
Bengaluru residents were left awed by the rainbowcoloured halo surrounding the sun as the striking circular rainbow ring was reportedly visible from most parts of the capital of Karnataka.
It was first seen around 11 a.m. and lasted for over an hour, in which time Bengaluru residents flooded social media with pixtures of the rare phenomenon.
@MyGovIndia summed up the euphoria surrounding the sun and the sombre mood amidst Covid times by stating in its tweet that “Amidst such challenging times of #COVID19, this majestic optical phenomenon #SunHalo, witnessed across #Bengaluru, definitely brightened up the day!”
According to the UK based Atmospheric Optics, a knowledge sharing website, the Halo phenomena happens when the light is reflected and refracted by ice crystals and may split into colours because of dispersion.
“The crystals behave like prisms and mirrors, refracting and reflecting light between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions. Atmospheric optical phenomena like halos were used as part of weather lore, which was an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed. They often do indicate that rain will fall within the next 24 hours, since the cirrostratus clouds that cause them can signify an approaching frontal system,” Atmospheric Optics explained.