It looks really weird. There is the moon and then there's a huge circle like circling the moon. I don't know how go explain it. It sorta reminds me of an 8-ball. What causes that? Is it like an eclipse or something?
2007-01-02 17:22:08 · 18 answers · asked by Kim 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
what u saw migth be a halo
Halos, are optical phenomena that appear near or around the Sun or Moon,there are many types of optical halos, but they are mostly caused by ice crystals in cold clouds located in the upper atroposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion, similarly to the rainbow.
sometimes in very cold weather optical halos are formed by crystals close to ground level,
the crystals behave like jewels, refracting and reflecting sunlight between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.
atmospheric phenomena such as halos were used as an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed.
2007-01-02 17:28:28 · answer #1 · answered by Tharu 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cold air and humidity cause this. The light reflects and bounces off ice crystals and particles in the air. It can be an indication of coming precipitation. It is an awesome sight. If you have a really good open view of the sky the circle can appear to cover half the sky sometimes. It started here several nights ago as our temperatures started dropping. During warmer weather you can see rings that are tighter, closer to the moon and can appear to be orange in color. It's for the same reason, impending precipitation, but the air is warmer so the light reflection reacts differently.
2007-01-03 01:46:03 · answer #2 · answered by jigsawinc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jan. 3, 8:57 a.m. EST - The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. It was also known as the Old Moon or the "Moon After Yule." In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most applied that name to the next Moon.
2007-01-03 01:25:41 · answer #3 · answered by C J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ring around the Moon is caused by the reflection of Moonlight (which of course is reflected sunlight) from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.
Moon Ring Weather Folklore Folklore has it that a ring around the moon signifies bad weather is coming, and in many cases this may be true.
2007-01-03 01:36:48 · answer #4 · answered by mrb6469 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answer according to the weather lady in detroit: high altitude ice crystals caused a halo that appeared 44 degrees from the moon.
Yeah, it was pretty groovy looking.
2007-01-03 01:34:01 · answer #5 · answered by freshbliss 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Awesome explanation from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000515.html
Quote: This fairly common sight occurs when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny ice crystals cover much of the sky. Each ice crystal acts like a miniature lens. Because most of the crystals have a similar elongated hexagonal shape, light entering one crystal face and exiting through the opposing face refracts 22 degrees, which corresponds to the radius of the Moon Halo.
2007-01-03 01:25:07 · answer #6 · answered by Bryan J 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What you are describing sounds like a lunar corona, but it's cloudy where I am so I can't see it. It's cuased by man made polution usually which to our eyes forms a halo around the moon. It can also be caused by volcanic activity when the dust gets into the atmosphere or by clouds.
2007-01-03 01:25:14 · answer #7 · answered by arrow_gant_one 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the eclipse is two moons from now. That's a halo. It's big right? I don't see anything.
2007-01-03 01:49:53 · answer #8 · answered by anonymous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Idk why it is doing that, but I do have an interesting fact about the moon. The earth and the moon spin in such a way that the people on earth always see the same side of the moon. Nobody has actually seen the other side, except maybe astronaunts.
2007-01-03 01:37:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It must be something to do with the weather where you are...it just looks like a full moon to me. I just went out to look at it.
2007-01-03 01:25:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋