A Sun Halo Over Tennessee

Sometimes it looks like the Sun is being viewed through a large lens . In the above case, however, there are actually millions of lenses: ice crystals . As water freezes in the upper atmosphere , small, flat, six-sided, ice crystals might be formed. As these crystals flutter to the ground, each crystal can act like a miniature lens, refracting sunlight into our view. The above image was taken near sunset last month near Nashville, Tennessee , USA . Dramatically visible behind neighborhood houses and trees and above the cloud deck is the 22 degree halo created by sunlight refracting off of atmospheric ice crystals.