Sun Halo (Rainbow) Ice Crystals in the Sky today

We walked Romeo on Walnut Hill before stopping at Price Rite to get milk and half and half for snow ice cream making. We have no hot water downstairs and no cold water upstairs. It's 13 degrees out!

I made cornbread from the package of Indian Head cornmeal. I skip the sugar and use whole wheat flour in place of AP flour. It's good! 

A winter circle rainbow, often referred to as a "22-degree halo" or "ice bow," is an optical phenomenon occurring when sunlight or moonlight refracts through millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the cold atmosphere. These crystals act as prisms, creating a brilliant, often white-ish or pastel-colored ring around the sun or moon. 

Key Aspects of Winter Circle Rainbows:

• Cause: Unlike summer rainbows caused by water droplets, these are formed by ice crystals (diamond dust) in high-altitude cirrostratus clouds or freezing air.
• Appearance: They appear as a large, 22-degree radius circle around the light source. While often white, they can display faint rainbow colors.
• Distinction from Standard Rainbows: They appear in the sky above rather than opposite the sun, and sometimes accompany other phenomena like sundogs (bright spots on the sides of the sun).
• Conditions: They are most commonly spotted during cold winter months, particularly when the sun is low on the horizon.
• Full-Circle vs. Arc: While usually seen as a halo due to the horizon, full-circle rainbows can be witnessed from high altitudes, such as in aircraft, due to atmospheric conditions. 

These phenomena, including similar structures like "sun bows" and "glories," are stunning examples of light scattering off frozen water, occasionally creating a full halo, or a "smile" in the sky.