Strange ring around the moon

[PaddyJoe]

Here in Munster its a fine clear night with a bright half moon in the south west sky at the moment. However, the moon is surrounded by a huge circle of clear sky with a perfect ring of cloudy white which takes up half of that SW section of sky. I''ve never seen a ring like that around the moon before. Anybody see that tonight? Something to do with volcanic ash?
Maybe some one with an interest in astronomy has an explanation?
And before you ask, no I haven't been drinking or head shopping

[5intheface]

Here in Munster its a fine clear night with a bright half moon in the south west sky at the moment. However, the moon is surrounded by a huge circle of clear sky with a perfect ring of cloudy white which takes up half of that SW section of sky. I''ve never seen a ring like that around the moon before. Anybody see that tonight? Something to do with volcanic ash?
Maybe some one with an interest in astronomy has an explanation?
And before you ask, no I haven't been drinking or head shopping

This sort of thing?

[PaddyJoe]

This sort of thing?

That's the one! I suppose its some very well known phenomenon that happens every Wednesday at 10.15 halfway thru the month

[5intheface]

That's the one! I suppose its some very well known phenomenon that happens every Wednesday at 10.15 halfway thru the month

Not that well known that I started a thread on on pie (before being culled) called, 'Run out now and look at the moon' a couple of years ago.

I think it's called a lunar corona/halo and has something to do with sunlight and ice crystals way high up. It was the portent of bad weather and that may not just be folklore either. It freaked me out at the time, would be interesting to know what time of the year I posted that one on pie, I have no way of searching for it there.

Sorry, I don't recall much more from my degree in astronomy.

Edit: I'm in South Derry.

[Tony1975]

Not that well known that I started a thread on on pie (before being culled) called, 'Run out now and look at the moon' a couple of years ago.

I think it's called a lunar corona/halo and has something to do with sunlight and ice crystals way high up. It was the portent of bad weather and that may not just be folklore either. It freaked me out at the time, would be interesting to know what time of the year I posted that one on pie, I have no way of searching for it there.

Sorry, I don't recall much more from my degree in astronomy.

Edit: I'm in South Derry.

http://www.politics.ie/chat/43842-go...look-moon.html

[5intheface]

http://www.politics.ie/chat/43842-go...look-moon.html

Cheers Tony but I'm not allowed to see it as it's in chat forum. Did I get any rep for it?

[C. Flower]

Enough of this nostalgia - here's the lovely Full Moon Rising thread from the late great Machine Nation...

http://machinenation.forumakers.com/...t=1&theme_id=1

[Ah Well]

Have seen this before, it's quite common and nothing surreal

The ring around the Moon is caused by the refraction of Moonlight (which of course is reflected sunlight) from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The shape of the ice crystals results in a focusing of the light into a ring. Since the ice crystals typically have the same shape, namely a hexagonal shape, the Moon ring is almost always the same size.

The ice crystals that cover the halo signify high altitude thin cirrus clouds that normally precede a warm front by one or two days. A warm front can be associated with a low pressure system as commonly referred to as a storm.

Some say the number of stars within the halo indicate the number days before bad weather will arrive. Try that one out for measure

[PaddyJoe]

Bugger! And there was me thinking it was a portent of cataclysmic events and the toppling of the long established order. I was flicking back and forward to RTE for the newsflash announcing the fall of the House of Brian.

[C. Flower]

Have seen this before, it's quite common and nothing surreal

The ring around the Moon is caused by the refraction of Moonlight (which of course is reflected sunlight) from ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. The shape of the ice crystals results in a focusing of the light into a ring. Since the ice crystals typically have the same shape, namely a hexagonal shape, the Moon ring is almost always the same size.

The ice crystals that cover the halo signify high altitude thin cirrus clouds that normally precede a warm front by one or two days. A warm front can be associated with a low pressure system as commonly referred to as a storm.

Some say the number of stars within the halo indicate the number days before bad weather will arrive. Try that one out for measure

There was a very cold wind from the south this evening. Would you explain that too please, Ah Well ?

[Ah Well]

There was a very cold wind from the south this evening. Would you explain that too please, Ah Well ?

Dunno about that one, but the wind here was from the East pretty much all evening and it was flippin' cold! Can vouch for that having been in the garden for a while

[Cassandra Syndrome]

There was a very cold wind from the south this evening. Would you explain that too please, Ah Well ?

Solar minimum rages on. 6 days of sunless spots. This is rolling into 3 years of minimum and started its bottom bouching in 2008, a deep 270 spotless days for 2009 a minor uplift in march but still under 50, but with CMEs and Flares but now plummet back to zero.

Dalton minimum 2 perhaps?

Keep up to date

www.spaceweather.com

A Dalton Minimum 2 coupled with Catla erupting? A year with no summer again.

[Cassandra Syndrome]

Nothing to worry about the moon incident. It can be a sign of snow in the Winter, but too late now.

Lovely photo though.

[Cáthasaigh]

Time for some CCR methinks:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmEGm-mraE"]YouTube- Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bad Moon Rising[/ame]

[Baron von Biffo]

I remember an old childrens rhyme that began

A ring around the moon
A ring around the moon
Hey ho me addy oh
A ring around the moon

Can't remember the rest and Google is not my friend.