© Times of SwazilandHalo around sun.
This was due to a circle of light (a halo) that was seen in the morning hours surrounding the sun. A halo, in simple terms, refers to a circle of light or radiance. This caused a lot of panic for many people as most were of the view that the world was coming to an end.
The Times of Swaziland office was inundated with calls from the public who wanted to find out about the halo around the sun.
This is similar to a rainbow line, though this time it was just around the sun. According to a statement from the Swaziland Meteorological Department, this phenomenon is known as a 22 Degree Halo.
The rainbow-like circle around the sun is caused by the bending of the sun's light due to tiny hexagonal ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.
It should be noted that most of the clouds in the upper atmosphere are made up ice crystals.
"There are many different types of halo, but this one is said to be the most common. It is caused by the refraction of light beyond the 22 degree angle by ice crystals in cirrus clouds and it is a similar concept to a normal rainbow (caused by light reflecting through water droplets)," the statement reads.
The statement explains that 22 degree halos occur when the sky is hazed with thin cirrus clouds, five to 15 kilometres high. "These clouds are cold and contain the ice crystals, even on hot days. Sometimes, only parts of a complete circle are visible," according to the statement.
It is unknown whether the whole of Africa witnessed the halo, but it is suspected that many parts of Southern Africa experienced it.
A woman from Waterford who called the Times office said it was imperative for people to start praying because the Lord was coming back.
Another caller, who said he was a teacher, said his pupils ran out of class after being told about the strange light around the sun.
© Inge MalanSuch 'halos' are not rare at all these days. Residents of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, stood outside looking at the sun on September 1st 2010, as this 22 degree arc appeared overhead.
Another questioned this reporter if this had anything to do with climate change or if there was any other scientific explanation.
One caller said he last saw this in 1984 and a cyclone was experienced that year.
However, the meteorological department has explained that this has nothing to do with a cyclone.
"If it did happen in 1984 and a cyclone followed, it was just a coincidence. It is not ill-fated. The halo does not necessarily mean something strange will happen," the department said.
Looks like the Sun on a heavy chemtrail day in NYC. All sharpness gone, auras around the image of the sun that sometimes break into rainbow-like diffusing...sad.