Bengaluru witnesses rare rainbow-coloured halo around Sun

Bengaluru: Amidst Covid gloom, there was something to cheer in the sky over Bengaluru which witnessed a rare ‘22 degree circular halo’ around the Sun on Monday.

The phenomenon occurs when the sun’s or moon’s rays get deflected or refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds, scientists said.

The ‘22 degree circular halo’ was first seen at around 10:50 am and lasted for over an hour. Many took to social media to post pictures of the phenomenon.

Celebrities and politicians too shared different angles of photos of the Halo around the sun. PC Mohan, Lok Sabha member from Bengaluru Central constituency, shared three photos of the sun halo on Twitter saying ‘Stunning #SunHalo in #Bengaluru.’

Samyukta Hornad, a Kannada actor, tweeted a few photos and said, “A rainbow-like halo has encircled the sun in a perfect circle right now. Call it magic, call it true :) The phenomenon is called a halo n happens because of light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere. Owing to its radius around the sun. (sic)”