Today's Image

Sun and moon halo

View larger. | Photo by Goran Strand
View larger. | Composite image of sun and moon halos by Göran Strand. Used with permission.

Göran Strand in Östersund, Sweden captured the two images in this wonderful composite on April 1, 2015. He said they were separated in time by about 10 hours. The composite shows a halo around the sun, and, that night, a halo around a nearly full moon. You can also see Jupiter also shining above the waterfront lights.

These halos are sometimes called 22-degree halos. In other words, that radius is a constant, whether the halo is around the sun, or the moon. Lunar and solar halos are caused by the refraction of moonlight, or sunlight, through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. Read more about halos here.

Visit Göran Strand’s website.

Visit Göran Strand on Instagram.

Visit Göran Strand on Facebook.

Follow Göran Strand on Twitter (@astrofotografen).

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Posted 
May 7, 2015
 in 
Today's Image

Like what you read?
Subscribe and receive daily news delivered to your inbox.

Your email address will only be used for EarthSky content. Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

More from 

Deborah Byrd

View All