Sun halo being observed in SVG

Residents of St Vincent and the Grenadines have been sharing photos on social media showing a halo around the sun today, Saturday, May 7.

Peter Providence of the Meteorological Services Department at the Argyle International Airport told SEARCHLIGHT that the halo, which can be seen from some parts of the country, is caused by the splitting, bending and reflection of light as it passes through cirrostratus clouds containing ice particles.

These thin, wispy, high altitude clouds are 20,000 feet or higher above us.

According to farmersalmanac.com, “as light passes through these hexagon-shaped ice crystals, it is bent at a 22° angle, creating a circular halo around the Sun. The prism effect of light passing through these six-sided ice crystals also separates the light into its various color frequencies, making the halo look like a very pale rainbow, with red on the inside and blue on the outside.”