It almost feels like we’re in the “Lord of the Rings” saga. A resident from Cholet, in Maine-et-Loire, immortalized on Tuesday December 3 a curious weather phenomenon at the ski resort of Val Thorens (Savoie) in the Alps where she works: a solar halo.
A solar halo results from the interaction between light from the Sun (or Moon) with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere
explains the specialized site futura-science.com. Formerly taken for a divine apparition, this phenomenon appears in the form of a geometric design composed of several luminous lines and circles
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The most spectacular halos observed in the mountains
These solar halos are often colorful, which makes the appearance even more magical
continues the Futura-science.com site. The main circle, or small halo, has a white outer edge and a red outer edge because diffraction breaks up light, as in the case of a rainbow
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And to add: The most spectacular halos are observed in the mountains, often in ski resorts.
as was the case in Val Thorens, the highest resort in Europe.
Jean-Baptiste Feldman, sky photographer, explains on his blog about the solar halo phenomenon. Between 7 and 12 km altitude, we encounter thin clouds called cirrus clouds. The drops of water that compose them freeze and transform into small ice crystals, generally hexagonal in shape. As they pass through these crystals, the solar rays undergo several reflections and emerge at certain angles, thus producing solar halos.
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Harbinger of bad weather
Finally, the site futura-science.com indicates that halos are precursors of bad weather
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Indeed, these clouds in which this weather phenomenon appears are often present at the front of a disturbance […]. Seeing a halo can therefore indicate to the mountain observer that bad weather is approaching.
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