National Day in Kuching, Miri marked by 22-degree halo around the sun
KUCHING: A spectacular phenomenon took place on National Day yesterday as members of the public throughout the state observed a 22° halo around the sun, with many taking the opportunity to snap photos of it to share on social media.
The natural phenomenon was observed in Kuching and Miri, with double rainbows forming a large circular ring around the sun as early as 11am.
Vehicles were also seen moving slowly as drivers and passengers tried to capture shots of the phenomenon.
A 22° halo is named thus because the ring has a radius of approximately 22°, and forms when sunlight or moonlight is refracted in the enormous amount of hexagonal ice crystals that are suspended in the earth’s atmosphere.
According to its article on Wikipedia, a 22° halo is not rare – occurring as frequently as 100 days a year and is much more common than rainbows.
Since high clouds typically precede unsettled weather, it is said a halo around the sun or moon means rain or snow is on the way, Wikipedia said.
The phenomenon is created because clouds, being so high in the sky, are made from ice crystals properties that reflect and refract light in such a way as to cause a ring around the sun.
Members of the public should avoid staring at the rings for an extended period as the glare from the sun may damage their eyes.
Meanwhile, several netizens expressed their creativity by putting photographs of either themselves or nearby objects, with the halo or double rings as backdrop.
At an official National Day function at Kuching Sentral here, F adz li Hus sen and Meor Al ief Rasdi took the opportunity to have their photos taken waving the Sarawak and Malaysia f lags with the phenomenon as backdrop, while Facebook users Damien Oh, Hazel Melville and Banyi Beriak were also among those expressing their creativity.
In Miri, members of the public spending the National Day holiday with their families at Taman Selera Tanjung Lubang were left stunned by the phenomenon.
One of them, Mohd Alif Daniel Abdul lah, said, “It is a rare phenomenon and we seldom see it. I managed to snap few shots of the sun with the rainbow circling it.
“This is my first time seeing the phenomenon and I will keep the photographs to remember this day.”
Another visitor to Taman Selera, Masnah Jamin, said she came to know about the 22° halo after it went viral in social media and WhatsApp groups.
She said a number of other picnickers began scattering along the beach to snap photos after noticing the ring- encircled sun.