Mesmerising halo forms around Sun over Karachi: Here's why

Karachiites witnessed a sun halo on Tuesday reflecting changes in weather.

The meteorological expert revealed that a sun halo — also known as a 22-degree halo — occurs due to sunlight refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

According to The Times of India, circular halos specifically are produced by cirrus clouds, which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds.

It should be noted that these clouds are very high up in the atmosphere, at a height of over 2,000 feet.

What causes sun halo to appear?

According to the UK-based Atmospheric Optics, a knowledge-sharing website, the halo phenomenon happens when the light is reflected and refracted by ice crystals and may split into colours because of dispersion.

Reports suggest that usually, halo indicates that rain will fall within the next 24 hours since the cirrostratus clouds that cause them can signify an approaching frontal system.

Earlier this month, the world witnessed the first solar eclipse of the year 2023.

Eclipses occur when the moon sun and earth align in a rare cosmic setting casting their shadow or blocking the sunlight. 

April has been designated as "Global Astronomy Month" by a US-based organisation Astronomers Without Borders, as the month will offer mesmerising sights in the sky, as per the report by Popular Science.

The April 20 solar eclipse created a ring of fire which was witnessed for a brief time in the Indian Ocean but the moon covered the sun completely when it reaches Western Australia witnessing around nine minutes of darkness during the day.