22º Halo and contrail shadow

Taken by Peg Zenko ( Tangent Photos) near Chicago O'Hare Airport on an early morning in March '04.

The delicate 22º halo is formed by ice crystals in a thin and uniform layer of cirrus haze.

The aircraft and its contrail of water droplets and ice crystals are high above the halo forming crystals and the sun is casting a shadow of the contrail downwards onto the cirrus layer.

©2004 Peg Zenko.