You might have noticed a halo or ring around the moon, ... These halos are caused by high cirrus clouds positioned approximately 20,000 feet above the ground that contain tiny ice crystals.

It is caused by high thin cirrus clouds about 20,000 ft in the sky. They can be very faint that it still looks mostly sunny! This type of cloud is made up of millions of very tiny, ice crystals.

Cirrus clouds are so high in the sky (typically higher than 20,000 feet), they are made up of millions upon millions of tiny ice crystals which readily refract the light from the Sun or Moon.

He wrote: “High cirrus clouds from an approaching weather system presented the perfect opportunity for a halo to form around the sun, which appeared to be pierced by the contrail of a passing ...

The often white (sometimes faintly colored) ring seen around the sun or moon through a thin veil of cirrus clouds is called a halo. It is created by the refraction (bending) of light (sun or moon ...

In folklore, a moon halo is a sign that bad weather is coming. Lamb said that's not far from the truth. "I think it makes sense because there are two different ways you can form cirrus clouds in ...

In the case of moon halos, the illusion is caused by tiny, hexagon-shaped ice crystals suspended within thin, wispy cirrus clouds that can be found at altitudes of around 20,000 feet or higher.

A sun or moon 'halo' is refraction from ice crystals in high cirrus clouds, and if those move in during winter, they can predict - but not guarantee - bad weather. Skip Navigation Share on Facebook ...

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A veil of high and mid-level clouds spreading across the Tennessee Valley Sunday was the perfect setup to see a rare sight in the sky. Several WHNT News 19 viewers, includi… ...

The ring is actually an optical illusion. It is caused when the moon light refracts off ice crystals in a thin veil of cirrus clouds. Those crystals create a giant lens 20,000 feet above us.

A halo such as this is an optical phenomenon based on ice-crystals in the atmosphere. The ring has a radius of approximately 22 around the Moon (it can happen around the Sun during daylight as well!

According to the National Weather Service, a halo results from light refracting off ice crystals present in a thin layer of cirrus clouds. Halos often appear white, but can show colors as well ...