High Sun Halos

The higher sun of spring and summer is an opportunity to see a less usual parhelic circle. Here it is high in the sky and not much larger than the 22° halo.

Imaged by Adam Kraft over Michigan.

©Adam Kraft, shown with permission
In extremis, with the sun overhead, the usually huge parhelic circle can shrink to zero size.

Adam Kraft's image also shows a circumscribed halo from horizontal column crystals.

Columns help form the parhelic circle as do plate crystals.
Atmospheric
Optics
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