Moon Rings

The moon is luminous, gorgeous, and intriguing to say the least, but if one were to look closely enough, the moon has a surprise that may make you think that the moon is more beautiful than you might have thought. The moon if looked at closely enough, has a ring, this ring is more commonly known as a winter halo, which is a phenomenon that generally appears when a full moon is present. The winter halo is created by a refraction of moonlight through various hexagonal shaped ice crystals that are present within the upper part of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is filled with many tiny crystals that all help refract the moonlight in various directions, but if a large amount of crystals all align and setup in the correct position, they can refract light in a way that is visible.

The characteristic of a moon ring is quite standard, as they are most usually the same size which ranges from 21-22 degrees across the sky. The moon ring generally appears 20-30 times the size of the moon, and is generally a very luminous bright white color. Moon rings have also been known to dictate the weather sometimes. As a general belief is that when a moon ring is present, rain is not too far behind. Although this is not 100% percent accurate, it is generally true, as rings around the moon do in fact give a sign that rain is somewhat close. Therefore, it can be said that moon rings do not only serve an aesthetically pleasing experience, but also help forecast the weather.