Rare solar halo seen in the skies above the Columbia River Gorge today
A solar halo rests above the horizon in the Columbia River Gorge. Please note that this photo has been edited and is a highly color saturated rendering of the original image. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
This morning I woke up at 6 a.m. to take the dogs out on a walk.
As the three of us rounded the corner of a trail we frequent in White Salmon, we came across a rare and beautiful sight: a solar halo high in the eastern sky of the Columbia River Gorge.
A less edited, high contrast low saturation photo of the May 17th, 2022 solar halo. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
What is a solar halo?
Solar halos are a rare phenomenon caused by refracted light filtering through cold thin cirrus clouds that have formed tiny hexagonal ice crystals while drifting high up in the atmosphere. This weather event can cause a complete ring or halo, light pillar columns, parhelic circles, or partial curved eclipse-shaped light formations around the sun.
Scientists might say that the solar halo is nothing more than an optical illusion created by a weather event.
But solar halos (also known as sun dogs, solar rainbows, sunbows, or whirling rainbows) also hold spiritual and symbolic significance to many cultures and religions around the world.
Some cultures believed seeing a solar halo was a sign that a storm was coming, and some Native American tribes considered “whirling rainbows” to be a sign that change was coming.
The Kabbalah and other religious texts also reference such phenomena and suggest that a halo around the sun is a sign of God’s presence or of powerful spiritual energy coming from above to aid humanity during a time of great need.
Symbolically the sunbow can be interpreted in many ways.
A big halo means greater spiritual power that should be shared with all, while a small halo means one should focus on their immediate sphere of influence.
If the halo appears while you are standing in the center of the halo, it can mean your spiritual power and your faith or spirituality are being strengthened, and you may be called upon to share that power with others.
If the halo appears and you are off-center from the halo, it means you are being offered a chance to rest and focus your spiritual energy inward and on your immediate spheres of influence.
The color of the halo can also be symbolic.
A white halo indicates purity and connection with extremely high power.
A gold halo indicates intense positive spiritual energy.
A blue halo indicates intense love and support from a higher realm.
A red halo indicates anger or frustration.
And a black halo indicates a lack of spiritual connection and feelings of being lost or adrift.
Cole Goodwin stands center with a solar halo in the background. Please note that this photo has been heavily edited and color saturated. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
A note from the columnist:
Solar halos stunning beauty has fascinated the minds, hearts, and imaginations of people since time immemorial and this reporter is no different. As soon as I saw it in the sky, I hit the research train to bring my community this article.
I also want to say that I do feel drawn to share with you that the solar halo and the lunar halo that shown brightly in the sky in September of 2019 hold strong personal and spiritual significance for me. And that I, like many others, have also experienced intense and life-altering changes to my life around the time of both lunar and solar halo events.
I will also say, that I certainly feel blessed to have seen two such amazing halo events in my life.
And I can’t help but feel that I’ve been extremely lucky that on both occasions, I’ve had the luxury of time to sit down, look up at the skies and just meditate on the wonder and beauty of our world for a few, very precious, moments.
Cole Goodwin stands center in a photo of the lunar halo that occurred in the gorge during September 2019. Photo Credit: Audrey Bell
Did you see today’s solar halo? Have you ever seen a solar or lunar halo before?
What color was it? What does a solar halo mean to you? Let us know and send a picture of your halo to news@columbiacommunityconnection.com!
For more information on the science of solar halos click here.
For more information on the symbology of solar halos click here.
