Coronas Around the Moon as Observed from Thessaloniki, Greece
September 26, 2014
Photographer: Kallias Ioanndis; Kallias' Web site
Summary Authors: Kallias Ioanndis; Jim Foster
The photo above shows colorful concentric rings, coronas, about the nearly full Moon as observed from Thessaloniki, Greece, on May 12, 2014. These colorful rings result from diffraction of sunlight by randomly spaced water droplets in mid-level clouds. When the droplets are of uniform sizes, multiple rings may be observed, as was the case on this spring evening -- look to the right of the Moon. Note also the pale aureole surrounding the lunar disk.
Photo details: Canon 400D camera; Opteka 500 mm lens; f/6.