After the blood moon, Queenslanders treated to sun halo — but what caused it?
/For the second time in two days Queenslanders have been treated to a stunning sight in the sky.
Key points:
- Halos are created by the sun's light passing through ice crystals in the atmosphere
- Spring and autumn are the most common times of year to see them
- Weather enthusiasts say there could be at least one more before the end of the month
A sun halo was been visible across large parts of the state on Thursday, days after many people witnessed the blood moon.
For keen weather watcher Liam Leonard the stunning phenomenon came as a complete surprise.
"The photos started pouring into the [L&K Mackay Severe Weather Facebook] page about people asking about this halo," he said.
"I was even sitting outside and I didn't even see it above my head until I looked up.
"It's pretty simple — they're just particles up in the upper atmosphere and it's just the sun's light really reflecting on that as the light passes through the ice particles.
"It's very normal in spring, when the upper atmosphere is still quite cold from the winter."
Mr Leonard said the cloud cover over much of Queensland created ideal conditions for the halo.
"When you've got reasonably clear skies they're pretty much that size all of the time," he said.
"It's great to see them again, as it's been nearly 12 months since the last one."
Mr Leonard said those who missed Thursday's sun halo may soon have another chance to bear witness.
"Probably within the next couple of days we will probably still see it, but there is a change coming through which will push all those ice particles and moisture off," he said.
"Hopefully we might see another later in the month."
Mr Leonard said the timing of the sun halo the same week as the lunar eclipse was just a happy coincidence.
"It's absolutely great, and things come in three, so we'll see what the third one is," he said.