Parhelic Circle and Solar Halo

Photographer: Daniel Herron, Atlanta Astronomy Club
Summary Author: Daniel Herron, Jim Foster

The photo above showing a portion of a parhelic circle and a 22 degree solar halo was taken above the Deerlick Astronomy Village in Georgia, on November 10, 2007. While waiting for the sky to darken enough so that we could make our astronomical observations, we were treated to a halo display and other optical effects as thin cirrus clouds drifted in the vicinity of the solar disk. The parhelic circle is a colorless, narrow band that encircles the sky at the altitude of the Sun. It forms when sunlight is reflected by the front surface of hexagonal ice crystals that are similarly aligned in the vertical plane.

The above is a panoramic taken from 4 separate pictures stitched together with AutoStitch.