Rainbow ring around Sun thrills Shivamogga denizens

A rainbow-coloured ring around the Sun (solar disc) was noticed in Shivamogga on Monday at noon, as a result of raincloud movement across the face of the Sun.

The multicoloured ring was noticed and photographed by the city's people at about 12.15 pm. The rainbow ring around solar disc was visible in the sky till almost 1.25 pm.

Thrilled by the celestial marvel, hundreds of Shivamogga denizens photographed it on their smartphones, and the picture went viral on social media.

It is conjectured that the VIBGYOR ( Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green,Yellow, Orange, Red) -coloured, circular, rainbow-like, halo around the Sun was caused by rainclouds passing in front of it. The rainclouds acted as a prism and split the seven colours of sunlight into a mesmerising rainbow.

It is learnt that such a '22 degree' halo is a rare occurance. It is visible only at places where the weather conditions exist; to cause it and is not visible everywhere. The local weather conditions determine the sighting and Shivamogga just got lucky on Monday!