Rare Sun Halo Spotted In Delhi After Rains, Twitter Users Share Stunning Pics

Residents in Delhi-NCR today witnessed a rare celestial phenomenon after the rains. The optical phenomenon called 'Sun Halo'--a bright rainbow-coloured ring around the Sun--was also witnessed in neighbouring states like Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. 

A rare optic phenomenon, the 'Sun Halo' or '22 degree halo' appears like a rainbow encircling the sun or moon at a radius of approximately 22 degrees. It occurs due to sunlight refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. It takes the form of a ring with a radius of approximately 22 degrees around the sun or the moon. Circular halos specifically are produced by cirrus clouds, which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds.

Residents of the city were left marvelling as the 'halo' appeared around the sun on Saturday morning.  Many citizens recorded the unusual visual spectacle on their mobile phones and uploaded it on social media where it soon became viral.

Take a look at some of the pics that are going viral on Twitter:

The same phenomenon was sighted in Dehrdaun last year. Experts say that people must exercise caution while taking pictures of 'sun halos' as facing the sun directly can harm your eyes.

When formed around the moon it is called a moon ring or winter halo. Unlike the sun halo which is coloured in hues of the rainbow, winter halos are mostly closer to white than any other shade.