View larger. | Halo display in Red River, New Mexico January 9, 2015. Photo by Joshua Thomas.
The U.S. National Weather Service in Amarillo, Texas posted this photo on its Facebook page this weekend. Joshua Thomas in Red River, New Mexico captured these magnificent arcs in the sky on the morning of January 9, 2015. Look below for a labeled version of the same photo.
Ice halos are commonly seen by those who look at the skies; we receive several photos of ice halos from somewhere in the world every week, especially in wintertime. Often, we’ll receive many such photos, across a particular region, sometimes for several days in a row. Most ice halos appear as a circle or ring around the sun or moon. Sometimes, if conditions are just right, you do see these wonderful, rare events when the whole sky is filled with halo arcs.
Ice halos are caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere, which both refract and reflect sunlight or moonlight.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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