Please note the sun was to the left of it, here's the link:
http://www.realsproduct.info/
2007-11-11 23:47:21 · 9 answers · asked by John v 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It is not a UFO or a comet. It is the sunlight shining off of the moisture dropletts in the cloud.
See one of my favorite sites called atmospheric optics.
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/cha2.htm
There are many pictures like that at this site. Spend a little time there and you will love it too.
2007-11-12 00:55:06 · answer #1 · answered by B. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think your imagination is running riot if you think its a UFO or Comet over London.
Whoever suggested that is a crass fool.
The gentleman above has it right, when he calls it a Sundog, but to be a little more precise its actually called a ''mock Sun'' also known as a ''parhelia''.
It is an effect caused by ice crystals in the Earth's atmosphere which refract the Sun's light so that 2 diffuse areas of light occur either side of the Sun, 22deg from it, and usually appear on the rim of a halo surrounding the Sun.
I am surprised that you did not know this as everyone who lives in a cold climate (like London) has seen one, perhaps you cannot see the sky in your location, do you live underground? to hide from the aliens? Get real.
2007-11-12 10:57:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is called a Sun Dog. It's sunlight reflecting off ice particles in the upper atmosphere usually on both sides of the sun. This happens more so on cold winter days.
2007-11-12 09:17:50 · answer #3 · answered by northstarz_21 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's called "Sun Dog" or more properly, a parhelion. (Usually used in the plural: parhelia). It's a very common phenomenon in the Arctic and other cold-weather climates. Here in Minnesota, we see them all the time in the winter.
It's caused because that little cloud is composed of ice crystals of a particular shape, that only form at a particular (very cold) temperature.
You can read more about them here:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/ice/sd.rxml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog
2007-11-12 11:44:15 · answer #4 · answered by Keith P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say it's probably sunlight scattering off the cloud.
Basically, it's the same effect as the one that produces rainbows. If it's the wrong way round, so what? Rainbows often form (from the middle out) as a normal rainbow with red on the outside and then an inverted one slightly further out with red on the inside (middle-V-I-B-G-Y-O-R-gap-R-O-Y-G-B-I-V-outside)
2007-11-12 08:32:34 · answer #5 · answered by draco_mortifer 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Neither, it looks like the light of the sun being distorted by very high, thin cloud
2007-11-12 07:55:36 · answer #6 · answered by rdenig_male 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Neither. It's a cloud.
The light effect is part of a halo, which is like a rainbow but with ice crystals instead of liquid droplets.
2007-11-12 08:06:51 · answer #7 · answered by ZikZak 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It´s a cloud...
Highaltitude clouds loaded with icecrystals create this rainboweffect quite often. They´re called nacreous clouds.
2007-11-12 08:03:48 · answer #8 · answered by DrAnders_pHd 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It's a UFO please don't walk into the light.
2007-11-12 07:59:39 · answer #9 · answered by nathang 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋