Nagpur witnesses rare 22 degree circular Moon halo

On Sunday night, a rare moon halo became a subject of curiosity for people in Nagpur district, Bhandara and surrounding areas. Seeing the moon ring, people clicked pictures and posted on social media. Some people thought of it as an indicator of future bad times, while some said it predicts victory over coronavirus is quite near. Some people named it as the effects of global warming.

The phenomenon is known as a ‘22 degree circular Halo’, it is an unusual optical solar spectacle.It occurs when the sun's or moon's rays get deflected/ refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds, according to a senior researcher with the MP Birla Planetarium.

This is a common occurrence that usually occurs during the transition from cold to heat. It is a phenomenon that occurs in cold countries. It rarely appears in a warm country like India
It usually appears in September-October and February-March. The ring-like shape around the moon can be visible for a few hours to 7-8 days.

This is a normal astronomical phenomenon according to meteorology and there is no need to panic about it. Some people call it Nimbus or Icebo in addition to Moon Ring or Winter Hello. Sometimes it even revolves around the sun and in such a situation it is also called solar halo.