A HALO OF LIGHT AROUND THE MOON


 A HALO OF LIGHT AROUND THE MOON

What looks like a rainbow crowning the night sky is a lunar halo, a real atmospheric phenomenon shaped by physics, not illusion.

High above the trees, thin clouds filled with hexagonal ice crystals drift through the upper atmosphere. When moonlight passes through these crystals, it bends at precise angles, separating into soft spectral colors and forming a wide circular arc—most often a 22-degree halo around the Moon.

The warm glow near the horizon comes from scattered artificial and natural light, interacting with moisture and airborne particles, while the colder blues and violets dominate higher in the sky where the air is thinner and cleaner.

The Moon itself remains unchanged—no increase in brightness, no emission of energy. It acts only as a light source, revealing how Earth’s atmosphere shapes and redirects light before it reaches our eyes. 

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