Solar halo: Good or bad omen?

CEBU, Philippines – Many people rushed outside their houses yesterday when they heard about the appearance of a “rainbow” around the sun.

The optical phenomenon appeared shortly before noontime which many considered as a warning that something bad or a disaster is coming, while others thought it was possible effect of climate change.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration explained that what appeared was not a rainbow but a “solar halo.”

According to Vangie Tolentino of PAG-ASA, the solar halo appears every time a low pressure area or a weather disturbance is expected.

She claimed the low pressure area spotted in northern Luzon might be the reason for the optical phenomenon, adding it is normal and a common sight when a low pressure area is detected.

Tolentino explained that the solar halo is an optical phenomenon that appears near or around the sun. At night time, when a ring is found around the moon, the phenomenon is called the “lunar halo.”

The phenomenon appears when the light is reflected and split up into colors because of dispersion, looking like a rainbow.

Tolentino clarified that despite the sighting of a solar halo, no typhoon is expected in Metro Cebu. Few rains and thunderstorms could however be experienced due to the entrance of the wet season, she added. — AJ de la Torre/WAB (THE FREEMAN)