PARÁ, BRAZIL — A solar halo formed a large colorful circle around the Sun and caught the attention of residents in Alenquer, in western Pará, on Friday morning (25). The optical phenomenon was recorded at different points across the city, and images were shared on social media.
Administrator Brenda Rebouças recorded the moment alongside her aunt. According to her, the two were initially frightened because they did not know what it was, but later became moved by the beauty of the phenomenon. Lawyer Juscelino Azevedo also photographed the halo and shared the images on social media. Resident Eniso Sousa said he recorded the phenomenon at around 10:10 a.m. and highlighted the beauty of the sky over Alenquer.
The solar halo occurs when sunlight passes through high cirrostratus clouds formed by microscopic ice crystals. As the light passes through the crystals, it undergoes refraction, similar to the effect of a prism, and separates into the colors of the rainbow. The phenomenon occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, and can also be observed around the Moon at night, when it is called a lunar halo.
Although it may appear rare, the solar halo is a relatively common phenomenon and is usually observed more frequently during periods of transition between seasons or under conditions of higher humidity. In Alenquer, visibility of the phenomenon was favored by increased humidity, with brief rain recorded in some parts of the municipality that morning.
Alex Santos, who holds a doctorate in Applied Meteorology and is a professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the Federal University of Western Pará (Ufopa), explained that the phenomenon is related to the interaction of sunlight with water particles and ice crystals present in the atmosphere. According to him, the occurrence of a halo does not mean that there will be immediate rainfall. The specialist also said that the Lower Amazon region is expected to continue experiencing drought in the coming days, under the combined influence of El Niño and conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, which hinder the formation of rain clouds in the region.
Amazon Agency