Rainbow-coloured sun halo in India's Dehradun leaves internet awe-struck. Take a look!

The skies of the Indian city Dehradun were graced by an awe-inspiring phenomenon on Sunday. On Sunday afternoon, locals reported seeing a sun halo with a rainbow of colours. This soon prompted many to capture the rare sight on their devices and post it on social media, where it quickly went viral, reported PTI.The sun halo, also known as the "22 degree halo," is an unusual optical phenomenon that gives the appearance of a rainbow encircling the sun or moon at a distance of about 22 degrees.

Director of the Meteorological Centre Bikram Singh explainedthat the phenomenon happens as a result of sunlight getting refracted by the millions of hexagonal ice crystals hovering in the atmosphere.

Experts advise that people must exercise caution when taking photos of sun halos. Directly facing the sun without any obstructions can harm a camera and your eyes.

As per the website EarthSky, both refraction, or the splitting of light, and reflection, or the glints of light from these ice crystals, resultin the halos we witness. For the halo to emerge, the crystals must be precisely aligned and placed in relation to the observer’s eye.

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“That’s why, like rainbows, halos around the sun – or moon – are personal. Everyone sees their own particular halo, made by their own particular ice crystals, which are different from the ice crystals making the halo of the person standing next to you.”

Let’s look at some of the stunning images of the spectacular sight that thelocals have shared on social media:

(With inputs from agencies)

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