Halo around moon on New Years Eve

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A New Year's Eve party led to a memorable experience as participants observed a striking halo around the moon around 11:30 PM. This phenomenon, caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere, creates a prism effect, making it visually captivating. The halo's visibility varied later in the night, with some attendees sharing similar experiences from different locations, including Northern California, where conditions also allowed for a beautiful halo at midnight. Discussions included the impact of weather conditions, such as fog and cloud cover, on the visibility of the halo, as well as curiosity about the moon's brightness and position contributing to the phenomenon. Overall, the thread highlights the awe and shared excitement of witnessing this natural occurrence during a festive celebration.
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Woot!

I was at a party on new years eve and at around 11:30 pm a lot of us climbed up onto the roof of the house (the house was HUGE :bugeye: ) and when I looked up, there was a clear halo around the moon. It was cool O_O. Anyway, a few hours later it was barely visible. It's just awesome that the first time I've ever seen this happened to be on New Years Eve... Several friends of mine have told me about times they have seen this and now I know exactly what they are talking about. I tried taking a picture with my cell, but it didn't work out too well...

Umm, I'm not sure what the point of this thread is (which is why this is in GD!).
 
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That is a cool thing to see, its caused by ice crystles and the degree{normally somewhere around 20%} makeing a prism effect.
 
moose said:
Woot!

I was at a party on new years eve and at around 11:30 pm a lot of us climbed up onto the roof of the house

Well, it's good you're still alive. :-p
 
My wife Tsu mentioned this. She was in N. California and mentioned that there was a strikingly beautiful halo around the moon at midnight. It had been clear, but around 12 some broken clouds rolled in and the halo formed.

Here, there was a freezing fog so thick that visibility was down to about one-hundred feet.
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
Here, there was a freezing fog so thick that visibility was down to about one-hundred feet.

I wish we had thick fog here...ever. I would whip out my green laser and it would be cool...
 
Are you in N. Ca. or is this a coincidence?
 
After that many beers, many things begin to have halos :smile:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Are you in N. Ca. or is this a coincidence?

I'm in Phoenix... Interesting.
 
Hmm...driving through PA and NY tonight, there was still quite a pronounced halo visible around the moon early in the evening. The sky was very cloudy here too, but is there some reason the halo is so noticeable aside from the cloud coverage? Is it the position of the moon, or is it a bit brighter than usual?
 

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