Thursday, February 2, 2012

ice crystal halo



ice crystal halo
around gibbous moon tinged red --
the air smells like snow


Tonight there's a huge, thick white ring of light around the waxing gibbous moon, caused by a veil of cirrus clouds composed of ice crystals refracting the moonlight. My eyes, but not my camera, can take in the enormous corona. When I hold up my hands spread wide at arm's length, my thumbs meet the red-tinged moon in the middle while my little fingers graze the perimeter of the circle. The space between the moon and this 22 degree ice halo appears darker than the rest of the sky. Down on the ground the air smells like snow.

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