[ThinkInsane]

I was eating lunch at an outdoor cafe today when I looked up and noticed a perfectly round rainbow encircling the sun, and a regular rainbow off on the horizon. I've never seen that before and thought it was pretty nifty. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me and the cell phone cam was about useless for taking pictures of the sun. A local news station did have some pics, although they really don't do it justice:



Some more pics on the photo gallery on this page

[bstone]

I was at the Rainbow Gathering a few summers ago and a rainbow formed around the sun during the 4th of July Circle for Peace. It was amazing. Certainly 20,000 hippies were very enthused about having a rainbow form around the sun just at the moment that they were all holding hands in a very large circle and OMing. Videos of it floating on youtube.

[::maroma::]

I've seen a similar type of ring around the moon at times. Never really look up at the sun, since you know, it hurts and stuff.

[Chuckit]

Needs more lens fl—oh, never mind.

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

I've seen a similar type of ring around the moon at times. Never really look up at the sun, since you know, it hurts and stuff.

Agreed, looking at the sun is rather uncomfortable. That's why after I initially noticed it, I averted my precious baby-blues and made my girlfriend stare at it good and hard and describe it in detail so I could form a safe, comfortable mental picture. Took her a good twenty minutes of hard staring before she gave me enough detail that I could picture it. Now she just keeps complaining that she can't see. I guess it always has to be about her. Cause she's selfish. But I digress.

All joking aside, when I got home I was going to try taking a look through my welding helmet, but by then the halo had pretty much dissipated so I didn't bother.

I have seen halos around the moon, like you said. My grandmother in the old county called it faerie fire and said it meant bad weather was coming. But those aren't neat rainbow colors. I did see a rainbow on a full moon night one time, so maybe that is possible. That'd be something to see.

[BlueSky]

Needs more unicorns.

[Wiskedjak]

These happen often in the winter where I live. Usually on days when there are alot of ice crystals in the air. They're call Sun Dogs
Sun dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[design219]

This is a clear sign of the initial phases of the apocalypse.

Everybody back up their hard drives tonight.

[Sherman Homan]

Everybody back up their hard drives tonight.

Snort!

[d4nth3m4n]

cirrus clouds are some trippy sh!t man.

ha. news 10 now. what a joke. come on now, central ny isn't that newsworthy, stop kipping yourselves- especially now that the string of murders in syracuse (sayre-a-cuse?) have either stopped or stopped being covered.

[Jawbone54]

The sun, showing it's pride.
I didn't know he was out.

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n 

cirrus clouds are some trippy sh!t man.

ha. news 10 now. what a joke. come on now, central ny isn't that newsworthy, stop kipping yourselves- especially now that the string of murders in syracuse (sayre-a-cuse?) have either stopped or stopped being covered.

It's a joke indeed. Time Warner bought the old train station and renovated it into a news studio, then promptly laid off most of the staff and now broadcasts the Syracuse news from their studio in Albany. The only thing broadcast from here is the weather now. And why is that you, ask? Well, who woulda thunk it, there just ain't enough happening in Albany or Syracuse to support two broadcasting studios. No wonder my cable bill is so high with such a pack of tards running the show.

Which murders? The serial killer? He got caught and convicted. Or do mean the gang banger shootings that have become a rather more frequent event?

[d4nth3m4n]

the gang banger stuff downtown.

[ghporter]

What's (to me anyway) more magical than a perfect sun rainbow, is a perfect MOON rainbow. They're rare because they need a fairly full moon and more constrained conditions than a sun rainbow, but they make up for it in the wonder they inspire. Like silent fireworks.

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

These happen often in the winter where I live. Usually on days when there are alot of ice crystals in the air. They're call Sun Dogs
Sun dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No no no. A sun dog (or parhelion) is a bright spot in the sky appearing on either side of the sun, formed by refraction of sunlight through ice crystals high in the earth's atmosphere.

An icebow (or aureola or corona) is a circle of light surrounding the sun or moon due to diffraction by water droplets.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Tiresias 

No no no. A sun dog (or parhelion) is a bright spot in the sky appearing on either side of the sun, formed by refraction of sunlight through ice crystals high in the earth's atmosphere.

An icebow (or aureola or corona) is a circle of light surrounding the sun or moon due to diffraction by water droplets.

They would seem to be related. Your wikipedia article calls the following image an icebow, yet it also has bright spots on either side

[ThinkInsane]

I did a little reading last night, and it would appear that what I saw is called a 22° Circular Halo. Some interesting info at Atmospheric Optics (found that link at the bottom of the wiki you posted Wisk )if anyone is interested. My understanding is that sun dogs are indeed the bright points along the circumference of the radial.

Wiskedjak, you said they appear fairly often where you live. If I remember correctly, you're someone where in Canadia. Just curious. Are you way up north?

[ThinkInsane]

Four more in the last two days, but I think I'm going to have to give these mooks lessons on how to shoot, cuz lately they can't hit jack. What's the point of shooting someone in the finger? This story from yesterday's Sub-Standard, a guy shoots another guy in the head because he wouldn't share his cookies, is my favorite (note- it didn't kill him, just pissed him off). And tell me this isn't an awesome quote:

Originally Posted by Shot in the head guy

"I want Dontae arrested for trying to kill me," Robinson told police. "He ran up behind me and shot me real close in the back of the head, and that just ain't right."

[dcmacdaddy]

</off-topic>
TI and d4n,

How bad is this crime-wave and is it just in the "bad" pat of Syracuse or all over the city? Two months ago my Mom moved to De Witt to be near two of her sisters--She is right off I-481 on the E. Genesee street exit--and I thought she would be safe up there. Is that a wrong assumption to make? It seems pretty tame where she is but I have visited only a couple times.
</off-topic>

[ThinkInsane]

Naw, Dewitt is fine, not too much to worry about out that way. Tends to be the more upscale 'burbs. She night have a tough time finding sheets with a thread count of less than 600, but that's about it. She should have some interesting reading in the Sunday Sub-Standard tomorrow about the tonight's "Juneteenth" celebration. Stabbings and shootings oh-my. I thought I would have an interesting walk home tonight, but they've cleared the whole mob out of downtown so it was nothing but clear sailing and crime scene tape. Most of this **** happens over on the south side. I live downtown and I honestly don't see too much go on, unless as I said you head south.

The Fed's actually came in a couple of years ago and routed the two biggest and most violent gangs on RICO statutes, so most of what's going on now is small-timers, wanna-bes and jackasses.

On topic: Rainbows sure is swell!

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by ThinkInsane 

Wiskedjak, you said they appear fairly often where you live. If I remember correctly, you're someone where in Canadia. Just curious. Are you way up north?

Not necessarily "way" up north. Calgary. By "often", I mean to say that I saw about 3 halos this winter (and 1 last week). Also saw a few sun dogs in the winter. Last week was the first time I can recall seeing a halo outside of winter. I think I see sun dogs/halos at least as often as I've seen rainbows.

[Tiresias]

ThinkInsane—you enjoy Poe. Am I right or am I right?

Sig.

"I forget your arms."
"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel."
"And the motto?"
"Nemo me impune lacessit."
"Good!" he said.
The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells jingled.

—The Cask of Amontillado

Location.

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

—The Raven.

[Kevin]

It was te sun's death rays trying to hit Al Gore.