RAINBOW HALO OVER THE PEAKS

 RAINBOW HALO OVER THE PEAKS

A quiet white sun… then a soft ring of color blooms around it like a lens made of ice.

This is a solar halo—a real atmospheric light effect that happens when sunlight passes through tiny hexagon-shaped ice crystals in high, thin clouds (usually cirrostratus). Those crystals bend and spread the light, so you get a glowing circle and that pastel rainbow edge around the sun.

What makes this one extra beautiful is the setting: the mountain snow brightens the whole scene, and the thin cloud layer acts like a diffuser, turning the halo into a smooth, clean “aura” instead of harsh glare.

Why you’re seeing the colors:

The ice crystals refract sunlight at specific angles
Different wavelengths bend slightly differently
That separation creates the faint rainbow bands

Where you can see this:
Best chances are cold, high-elevation places or anywhere with high, icy clouds..think Rocky Mountains, Alps, Himalayas, Andes, or even flat regions in winter when thin cirrostratus spreads across the sky.

Quick note: don’t stare at the sun directly...use sunglasses, or block the sun behind a building/peak and look for the ring around it.