I got an excited call from my wife around midday today asking me to go outside and take a look at the sun. I took this picture:

Still there (12:15)

I'll upload the picture when I find out how to.

OK, here's the picture... (the ring is more defined than my camera can represent - shooting directly into the sun)

There was a topic about this in the pattaya forum a while ago i think... I'll see if i can find it

totster

Not the one I was thinking of... but here anyway

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=68668

totster

Yes, thanks Totster looks like what I'm seeing right now outside. Weird. I searched for "Ring around the sun" on Google and it was suggested that a hurricane was on the way. Sure that's a load of old boll...s

yes nice, looks beautyful. i would never have noticed without your post, thanks.

i think this ring or phenomenon is called Halo.

its actually a common phenomenon , they occur when there is a thin veil of high level cloud , e.g. cirrostratus , and this often preceeds a warm front by a day or so. these high level clouds contain ice crystals and the light from the sun passes through 2 adjacent faces of the hexagonal ice crystals , and as the crystals have random orientation , the light is spread in every direction and appears as a circle around the sun with a radius of 22 degrees.

as can be seen from bkkmicks great photo , the inner edge of the circle is red , then yellow in the middle with a bluish outer edge , exactly the opposite sequence to a rainbow.

Nice photo khun Bkkmick!

I've seen this phenomenon at times but not today as it's quite cloudy here.

Here's a second picture. I obscured the sun with my George Best five pound note to see the colours of the halo a bit clearer...

Hi,

I just noticed the post about the halo around the sun last week. My two sons saw it during their lunch break at school and told me about it. I'm glad to kno I'll be able to explain how it was caused.

Thanks!

Nice post and great pics. I've never seen that before!

Nope, haven't seen that either. Would be great to see it once in life. Good shot bkkmick.

Seen it happen with full or almost full moon here as well.

I live in Chiang Mai and I was swimming at a pool with my son when looking up with my sunglasses on I noticed it too. It was awesome and in my 36years, have never seen this before. I just made a search of the net now to see if anyone could explain it and was amazed at all the responses.

its actually a common phenomenon , they occur when there is a thin veil of high level cloud , e.g. cirrostratus , and this often preceeds a warm front by a day or so. these high level clouds contain ice crystals and the light from the sun passes through 2 adjacent faces of the hexagonal ice crystals , and as the crystals have random orientation , the light is spread in every direction and appears as a circle around the sun with a radius of 22 degrees.

as can be seen from bkkmicks great photo , the inner edge of the circle is red , then yellow in the middle with a bluish outer edge , exactly the opposite sequence to a rainbow.

I hate it when people give such vague answers, next time, please try and be just a little more specific.

Also known as a tertiary rainbow. Google

Nice pics.