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Weather picture of the month June 2005 

 

 

Picture taken at Kampenhout on May 24 2005.

 

When one or more sequences (seldom more than three) of colored rings of relatively small diameter, are centered on the sun or moon this is called corona. In each sequence of this photometeor, the inside ring is violet or blue and the outside is red; other colors may occur in between.

The innermost sequence usually shows a distinct outer brownish-red ring. This is called the "aureole" and its radius is generally not more than five degrees.

Light from the sun or moon passes through mist, fog or a thin cloud very small water or ice particles. This light is diffracted and dispersed into its various colors and is observed as a corona.

 

A corona is distinguished from a halo in the following ways:

-The color sequence is opposite which means that the red of the corona is on the outside of the colors in the first sequence; the brownish-red of the aureole is also followed by violet, blue, etc of the next sequence. The innermost color of the corona is red, followed by orange, yellow, green, etc.
-Size of corona is usually smaller and of variable radii.

 

The picture shows 2 sequences of colored rings of a solar corona in a thin Altocumulus cloud.



List of pictures of the month