Weather field note
Sky's icy circle
A Ring Around the Sun
Sometimes a giant glowing ring circles the sun, painted by ice floating high in the sky.
Let's look closer
How does the sky get a ring around the sun?
ar above the clouds, tiny six-sided ice crystals drift through freezing air. When sunlight passes through them, it bends like light through a prism, curving into a perfect circle around the sun. The ring tends to appear when thin, feathery clouds spread across the sky, often just before the weather changes.
Look for this
Explorer clue
On a bright day with thin, wispy clouds, look near the sun (never straight at it) for a faint glowing ring, or watch a video of a sun halo forming.
Your turn to wonder
Curiosity question
What is the most surprising ring or circle you have ever noticed in the sky?
Keep wandering
