MANILA, Philippines – Pinoy sky watchers were amazed and awed at the perfect halo that appeared around the moon on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8:30 pm. Some felt fearful and uneasy, as well.
One of the superstitious beliefs of old folk is that when a ring appears around the moon or when a moon halo appears, it portends a catastrophe. The number of stars around the halo would indicate the number of days. Younger Pinoys, however, are shrugging their shoulders in belief. The Philippines is still suffering from the devastation caused by super storm Haiyan, and another catastrophe would be too much for an impoverished nation.
Science has an explanation, though, and according to Cool Cosmos:
“Rings around the Moon are caused when moonlight passes through thin clouds of ice crystals high in Earth’s atmosphere. As moonlight passes through the ice crystals, it is bent in a way similar to light passing through a lens. The shape of the ice crystals causes the moonlight to be focused into a ring. “
Below are pictures taken by Filipino sky watchers.
