A hole in the sky
Midday · Sun 41° highA ring stands 22° from the Sun, all the way round.Inside it the sky is darker: ice bends no light by less than 22°.Put your thumb on the Sun. Your little finger touches the ring.
A halo watchers’ society · Stockholm
Rings and suns made of ice.
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Morning · Sun 24° high
Two mock suns
Late afternoon · Sun 12° highWhen the Sun is low, look left and right of it.Two bright patches sit at its height, red on the side that faces it.Flat plates of ice, floating level, make them.
Look straight up
Afternoon · Sun 22° highThe same plates throw a second arc high above the Sun.It only forms when the Sun is lower than 32.2°.At 22° it is brightest: two hands above the Sun.
A pillar at sunset
Sunset · Sun 1.6° highIn the last minutes of the day a column stands up from the Sun.The plates are mirrors now, rocking a few degrees each way.They send it to you only when the Sun is within 6° of the horizon.
Rings at night
A cold night · Moon 27° highOn cold, still nights the crystals come down to the ground.Every street light grows a pillar, and the Moon gets its own ring.The pillar is not over the lamp: it is a line of mirrors between you and it.
