UK Moon Sighting: Was the Halo Real or Atmospheric?

[wolram]

Did anyone in the uk see the moon last night ? it was so bright, and seemed
to have a three lobed halo surrounding it, is this just atmospherics ?

 

[neutrino]

I'm not from the UK, but I watched the moon occult Spica last night.

 

[mubashirmansoor]

Its an interesting question because it sometimes happens to look larger or brighter but the only thing coming in my brain is the atmosphere's gases causing the light to get some diffrences but I'm not sure and I'll be waiting eagerly for an answer...:)

 

[Kurdt]

It was very spectacular. I saw it as it just popped over the horizon where it was a deep orang colour and it gradully got brighter as it rose higher above the horizon. The fact it appears larger is due to it rising on the horizon with houses and other points of reference etc. when the moon is high in the sky and has no points of reference (other than stars) it appears smaller. This is all an optical illusion such as the two bars of the same length between the tapering rails. The one at the widest point of the rails appears to be longer even when you know it isn't.

The moon can appear bigger in the sky though. As we all know it has an elliptical orbit and when its at its closest point it has its greatest angular size and at its furthest point it has the smallest angular size.

I wish I'd taken some pictures of it because as you say the moon was so bright it cut through the haze perfectly but left this amazing halo.

 

[batboy]

Unfortunately, as great as the Moon is to watch, most astronomers call that light pollution. I saw a Moon halo myself the other night, similar to a Sun halo.

The circular halo is produced by six-sided ice crystals in thin high-altitude clouds, which refract the moonlight and give the halo a characteristic radius of 22 degrees. NASA

 

[Phobos]

brightness due to it being a near-full moon (and perhaps atmospheric clarity?)

halo effects due to the Earth's atmosphere

Unfortunately, as great as the Moon is to watch, most astronomers call that light pollution.

But a tolerable kind. Deep-sky observing is best done at moonless times (so the glare of the moon does not wash out the dimmer objects). But exploring the moon can be great fun to an astronomer too (easy, clear, lots of interesting features & details).