Friday afternoon from about noon to 1 p.m. some folks in west central Minnesota looked up in the sky and saw a mysterious halo around the sun.
"What does it mean?" observers inquired.
"It's an angel," one person commented.
"Nah, it's some scientific thing," said another.
"I think it's God," declared another.
Apparently the phenomenon is caused by ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The crystals are hexagon-shaped and refract the sun's light, which causes the halo, appearing as a large shadow around the sun with rainbow edges.
It is comparable to shining a light on a crystal and seeing the rainbow of colors on the wall.
The clouds must be at just the right height and thickness in the atmosphere in order for the effect to occur. It also happens in the late evening around the moon.
The halos are sometimes called "sun dogs" or a "phantom sun."
Remember never to stare directly into the sun, as it may cause retina damage or blindness.
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