Extraordinary Halo

A colourful circle, called halo, was seen formed around the sun in the Kathmandu and other districts on Wednesday afternoon.

Such halos, though uncommon, are visible when sun rays are refracted by a thin layer of high clouds containing ice crystals. The optical phenomenon was seen from many districts in the eastern, central and western Nepal.

The halo around sun is called Indrasabha and the phenomenon Sabha Baseko in Nepali, with a connotation of the court of rain god Indra. Rainbow, on the other hand, is called Indreni or Indradhanusha, the bow of Indra.

 

Photo: Keshav P. Koirala