A HALO CROWNED THE SUNSET

 A HALO CROWNED THE SUNSET

It happened off the Florida Gulf Coast, right as the Sun sank into a line of clouds and the ocean turned into molten gold.

The big ring around the Sun is a sun halo — it can appear when sunlight passes through tiny ice crystals high in thin clouds, bending the light into a circle. The sharp “rays” bursting upward are sunbeams (crepuscular rays), created when lower clouds block parts of the sunlight and the remaining light streams through gaps. Over water, the reflection stretches into a bright path because the surface is rippled but still reflective.

Where you can see this:

Florida & Gulf Coast — ocean horizons + frequent layered clouds

California coast — marine haze with clearing skies

Pacific Northwest — post-rain sunsets with high thin clouds

Great Plains — wide-open skies for halos and rays
Best timing: last 20 minutes before sunset, when you see thin high clouds above and broken clouds near the horizon.