Colorful Corona

July 08, 2003

Dcp05999

Referred by: Michael Ellestad
Summary authors & editors: Michael Ellestad

This photo is a very nice example of concentric coronal rings about the Sun. These colorful rings are produced by the interference of light diffracted around the outside of microscopic water droplets in clouds. From the Sun outward, the colors go from blue to green to yellow and to red -- each successive ring repeats this color sequence. Larger droplets result in a smaller corona. Note the sunbeams fanning out from behind the clouds.

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