Halo of light crowns Antarctica

Ice crystals bend sun’s rays into ring

ring in sky over Antarctica

ICE IN THE SKY  Ice crystals in the air bend sunlight into a ring over a research base in eastern Antarctica.  

E. Sacchetti

In the sky above eastern Antarctica, airborne ice crystals sculpt the sun’s rays into a ring.  

This phenomenon, called a 22-degree halo, is the result of sunlight passing through tiny, six-sided ice cylinders in high-altitude clouds.