© Stephen Burt

Stratfield Mortimer, near Reading, Berkshire RG7, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Latitude: 51° 22' 12'' N

Longitude: 1° 2' 24'' W

07 October 2010 1211 (Local Time)
Camera direction: towards S

Image P/S code: S.3.2

Image I.D.: 5684

• Images & related info Other Images Images of 1987 edition
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  Cirrostratus fibratus with impressive halo phenomena

  The slow northward movement of a warm front produced a shield of high cloud over southern England, UK on the morning of 7 October 2010. The first Cirrus appeared before dawn, followed by variable and beautiful Cirrus and Cirrostratus during the morning – at one point a large shield of Cirrostratus with a sharp edge spread in quickly from the south-east. Later in the morning and into the afternoon, with more general Cirrus/ Cirrostratus, there was a fine and prolonged halo display, including two very bright 22° parhelia, segments of the parhelic circle, an upper tangent arc to the 22° halo (suncave with the Sun at 33° elevation at noon) with pronounced Parry arc and, for part of the afternoon, a very bright circumzenithal arc as well (not shown in the picture). Altocumulus spread in very rapidly from the south after 1500 UTC and the rest of the day and evening remained cloudy, with rain commencing at 1730 UTC.

  Links in the image description will highlight features on the image. Mouse over the features for more detail.

  © Stephen Burt
  Stratfield Mortimer, near Reading, Berkshire RG7, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  Latitude: 51° 22' 12'' N
  Longitude: 1° 2' 24'' W
  07 October 2010 1211 (Local Time)
  
  
  Camera direction: towards S
  Image P/S code: S.3.2
  Image I.D.: 5684
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  Warm front advancing slowly from the south or south-east, producing an extensive high cloud shield over southern England, UK
  © Deutscher Wetterdienst
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  The ascent from Camborne, England, UK (WMO 03809), approximately 350 km south-west of the photograph location, shows multiple inversions, a dry anticyclonic subsidence layer at mid levels and more moisture at Cirrus heights.
  © University of Wyoming
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  The visible satellite imagery, taken an hour after the surface photograph, shows the shield of high cloud spreading in front of the northward-moving warm front.
  © NEODAAS/University of Dundee
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  Cirrostratus fibratus undulatus with 22° halo

  The double layer of Cirrostratus is identified by the alignment of fibratus striations. In the lower layer, the fibratus is aligned north-east to south-west; the higher layer is at a right angle to the lower layer; that is, south-east to north-west.

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  © Stephen Burt
  Stratfield Mortimer, near Reading, Berkshire RG7, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  Latitude: 51° 22' 12'' N
  Longitude: 1° 2' 24'' W
  02 December 2009 1011 (Local Time)
  
  
  Camera direction: towards SE
  C_L = 0, C_M = 0, C_H = 8
  Image P/S code: P.3.2
  Image I.D.: 5491
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  Cirrostratus nebulosus and 22° halo

  The photo shows a thin veil of Cirrostratus cloud invading from the west (right of photograph). The lack of form or detail identifies it as the species nebulosus. A small amount of Altocumulus is also visible. The main feature is a complete moderate intensity 22° solar halo, caused by solar rays passing through many randomly arranged ice crystals.

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  © Frank Le Blancq
  St. Ouen, Jersey
  Latitude: 49° 13' 45'' N
  Longitude: 2° 13' 33'' W
  29 March 2016 1300 (Local Time)
  
  
  Camera direction: towards S
  C_L = 0, C_M = 3, C_H = 6
  Image P/S code: P.13.1.1
  Image I.D.: 4136
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  22° halo with parhelia

  The main features in this picture are the 22° halo and the parhelia flanking it on each side at 2 and 3. The parhelia (commonly known as sundogs or mock suns) are bright spots, often brightly coloured, that occur on the parhelic circle and on or just a little outside of the 22° halo.

  The parhelic circle at 4 and 5 is a white halo at the same angular elevation as the Sun that, if complete, runs as a circle around the horizon. Here, only the parts of the parhelic circle outside of the parhelia are visible. Inside the 22° halo, any parts of the circle that may have been seen are obscured in the photograph by flare from the camera lens.

  At the top of the 22° halo is a faint upper tangent arc. Also in the photograph, diamond dust ice crystals responsible for generating these halo phenomena can be seen as white specks sparkling in the sunlight against the blue, cloudless sky.

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  © Irene Ho
  Hexigten, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China
  Latitude: 43° 15' 54'' N
  Longitude: 117° 32' 45'' E
  06 January 2011 1421 (Local Time)
  
  
  C_L = 0, C_M = 3, C_H = 6
  Image P/S code: P.13.1.6.1
  Image I.D.: 4948
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  A complex and rare halo display

  This is an extreme wide-angle view, looking upwards, of a magnificent halo display formed by the reflection and refraction of sunlight in diamond dust at an altitude of 1 100 m in Neklid, Klinovec, Ore Mountains, Czech Republic. 

  Diamond dust consists of very small ice crystals in the air which are visible especially when they sparkle in the sunlight. The dust-like specks in this photograph are the diamond dust ice crystals glinting in the sunshine.

  Complex halo displays like the one in this picture are usually observed only in polar regions; however, they may occasionally occur in mountains when there are ice crystals in the air.

  The halos visible in this picture are, from left to right: a 22° halo; an upper tangent arc; a suncave parry arc; a supralateral arc with left and right upper Tape arcs (also known as 46° Parry arcs); a circumzenithal arc; a heliac arc together with a antisolar (or subanthelic) arc; a Wegener arc; a parhelic circle Tricker arcs; and diffuse antisolar arcs.

  Some of these halo types are quite common, such as the 22° halo and circumzenithal arc. Others, however, are less frequently seen, and some, such as the heliac, antisolar, Wegener and Tricker arcs, are rarely witnessed.

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  © Claudia Hinz
  Neklid, Klinovec, Czech Republic
  Latitude: 50° 24' 12'' N
  Longitude: 12° 56' 19'' E
  30 January 2014 1057 (Local Time)
  
  
  C_L = 0, C_M = 3, C_H = 6
  Image P/S code: P.13.1.4.1
  Image I.D.: 4239
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  A complex halo display

  This magnificent halo display was formed by the refraction and reflection of sunlight through diamond dust at an altitude of 1 100 m in Neklid, Klinovec, Ore Mountains, Czech Republic.

  Such complex displays are usually observed only in polar regions, although they may occasionally occur in mountains when there are ice crystals in the air, as in this case. The dust-like specks in this photograph are in fact the diamond dust ice crystals sparkling in the sunlight.

  The halos visible in this picture are: a 22° halo; a parhelic circle and parhelia; a lower tangent arc; infralateral arcs; an upper tangent arc with a suncave Parry arc; a heliac arc; a supralateral arc that touches a circumzenithal arc; and four Tape arcs (also known as 46° Parry arcs). 

  Some of these halo types are quite common, such as the 22° halo and the parhelia. Others, however, are less frequently seen, and some, such as the heliac arc and Tape arcs, are rarely witnessed.  

  Links in the image description will highlight features on the image. Mouse over the features for more detail.

  © Claudia Hinz
  Neklid, Klinovec, Czech Republic
  Latitude: 50° 24' 12'' N
  Longitude: 12° 56' 19'' E
  30 January 2014 1056 (Local Time)
  
  
  Camera direction: towards SSE
  C_L = 0, C_M = 3, C_H = 6
  Image P/S code: P.13.1
  Image I.D.: 4204