Lunar halo draws eyes to the sky

9:19 AM, Jan 23, 2013   |    comments
Here is a photo from last night's Lunar Halo. / Hillary Harris/Special to the News Journal
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(PNJ.com) -- Many Pensacola-area residents Monday night said they watched one of nature's little-seen celestial shows: A lunar halo.

And they have the pictures to prove it.

After being alerted to the meteorological phenomenon produced by moonlight reflecting off ice crystals in the atmosphere, many took out their cameras and smartphones and started sending photos to pnj.com.

The lunar halo was a perfect circle around the moon. In fact, the combination of the waxing gibbous moon and the circular clouds gave the appearance of a humongous bullseye in the sky.

Some reported seeing the planet Jupiter only a few degrees away from the moon too. A perfect night for skywatching!

Pensacola News Journal