Ice Halo Around the Sun Was Captured in a Photo

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Michael Schneider, who works as a photographer in Switzerland, is behind the incredible photo of an ice halo. The picture was taken in the Swiss Alps, on the Hornligrat Mountains when he was skiing. An ice halo is the process of the ice crystals freezing in midair. This process creates a halo effect on the Sun, and it is present in a picture.

The picture shot with an iPhone 11 exists thanks to the quick observation of the photographer, which capture the halo effect. He first spotted the halo effect, which in time started to increase rapidly, so the fascinations of the photographer grow. Looking at the Sun, he spotted two rings around it and many, many reflections from the light. It was early in the morning when the ice halo happened, but after the fog was gone, everything became bright and vivid.

Ice Halo Around the Sun Was Captured in a Photo

Moreover, a process like this is happening only when the ice crystals are hanging in the sky. The crystals can stay there even in cirrus clouds, in the ice fog, or very near to the ground. The phenomenon is similar to rainbows and raindrops. An ice crystal is reflecting and refracting the light, and according to the situation, we can have ice mirrors or ice prisms. Other factors are the shape of the crystals or the incident angle of the light for this phenomenon to happen.

To sum up, what we mentioned above is the scientific explanation of the ice halo effect, explained by geophysicist Mika McKinnon. On the other hand, Schneider is a photographer, and he is hunting the beauties of nature, the fascination of the phenomenon, and beauty. It is interesting to study the process behind events like these, but at the same time, it is beautiful to observe it and wonder what our eyes could see, and our hearts could feel.

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