Discussion
I was giving the Mito a bit of a spruce up last Saturday and was checking I'd not left any smears when I noticed a strange rainbow effect. I quickly realised it was actually a reflection from the sky and dashed inside to grab my camera for a few photos 
.
Circumzenithal and supralateral arcs
Circumzenithal arcs are actually fairly easy to miss as they appear directly above around the zenith (hence the name) so you only see them if you're looking up into the sky. I've seen one before (lounging in a garden on a sunny day watching clouds) so recognised what it was.
This one had a second fainter arc meeting it which I'd not seen before. From a bit of searching I found it was likely a supralateral arc...
Circumzenithal and supralateral arcs
Looking at another photo I took where I tried to include the sun I also spotted an even fainter arc lower down, which is a tangent arc.
Circumzenithal, supralateral and tangent arcs.
I emailed the photos to an expert in atmospheric optical phenomena and he confirmed what those arcs were. He did a bit of analysis on the photo and also found the 22 degree halo and a very faint parry suncave arc showing too.
He said that convex dark reflective surfaces are ideal for spotting ice halos - it seems the bonnet of an Etna Black Mito was just the job. He's posted my photos up as Optics Picture Of the Day:
Halos & How to Spot Them - OPOD
The website's really interesting - all sorts of really weird and wonderful optical phenomena shown and explained!
I think it must have been a good day for ice halos around the UK as the BBC had a small piece on them last Monday as well.
.Circumzenithal and supralateral arcsCircumzenithal arcs are actually fairly easy to miss as they appear directly above around the zenith (hence the name) so you only see them if you're looking up into the sky. I've seen one before (lounging in a garden on a sunny day watching clouds) so recognised what it was.
This one had a second fainter arc meeting it which I'd not seen before. From a bit of searching I found it was likely a supralateral arc...
Circumzenithal and supralateral arcsLooking at another photo I took where I tried to include the sun I also spotted an even fainter arc lower down, which is a tangent arc.
Circumzenithal, supralateral and tangent arcs.I emailed the photos to an expert in atmospheric optical phenomena and he confirmed what those arcs were. He did a bit of analysis on the photo and also found the 22 degree halo and a very faint parry suncave arc showing too.
He said that convex dark reflective surfaces are ideal for spotting ice halos - it seems the bonnet of an Etna Black Mito was just the job
. He's posted my photos up as Optics Picture Of the Day:Halos & How to Spot Them - OPOD
The website's really interesting - all sorts of really weird and wonderful optical phenomena shown and explained!
I think it must have been a good day for ice halos around the UK as the BBC had a small piece on them last Monday as well.
Yes - not many people get the reference of where my ID comes from . I started using Skaffen for signing up on forums after the previous username I was regularly using was more often than not already taken, so as I'd recently read Use of Weapons at the time I picked a character name from there - this was many many years ago though! I ended up using FurLined on some photo sites for similar reasons.
. I started using Skaffen for signing up on forums after the previous username I was regularly using was more often than not already taken, so as I'd recently read Use of Weapons at the time I picked a character name from there - this was many many years ago though! I ended up using FurLined on some photo sites for similar reasons.Message Board | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff