Fotometeoros: What are and examples

The photometeros are Atmospheric phenomena that occur in the Earth’s atmosphere and that are visible from the surface. These events can take various forms and manifest in different ways, but all share the characteristic of being caused by interactions between light, humidity and particles present in the atmosphere.

• One of the most common photometers are The rainbowswhich occur when sunlight is refracted and reflected by drops of water suspended in the air. White sunlight breaks down in its component colors when passing through water drops, thus creating the characteristic multicolored arch in the sky.
• Another known photometero is the Solar and moon haloswhich appear as light rings around the sun or the moon. These halos are caused by the reflection and refraction of sunlight or mole through ice crystals in the high clouds.
• The Green flashes They are another type of photometeros, which occur when sunlight is refracted by the earth’s atmosphere during sunrise or sunset, producing a green flash right at the time when the sun appears by the horizon.
• In addition to these examples, there are Other photometeros Less known, but equally fascinating, such as mirages, light pillars, iridescent clouds and northern and southern lights.

The solar and lunar halo is an atmospheric phenomenon that manifests itself as a Light ring around the sun or the moon. These halos are caused by the refraction and reflection of sunlight or moon through ice crystals in the high, typically cirros or cirrostrad clouds.

When sunlight or mole crosses these ice crystalsIt breaks down in different wavelengths, producing a spectrum of colors around the sun or the moon. However, because ice particles are small and uniformly distributed in the atmosphere, the colors are mixed and blurred, creating a diffuse light ring instead of a clear rainbow.

The size and shape of the halo depend on several factors, including the quantity and shape of ice crystals in the atmosphere, as well as the position of the observer with respect to the sun or the moon. In ideal conditions, the solar halo can have a diameter of up to 22 degrees around the sunwhile lunar halo can be even larger due to the greater dispersion of light in the night atmosphere.

In this article you will find more information about what a solar halo is and why it occurs.

The rainbow is one of the most recognizable and amazing photometeros that occur in the earth’s atmosphere. This optical phenomenon occurs when sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed by small drops of water suspended in the atmosphere during or after a rain.

When sunlight penetrates a drop of water, it is refracted (changes direction) and decomposes in its different wavelengths, which correspond to the colors of the visible spectrum: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. These colors are reflected internally into the gout and then refract again when they leave it.

The result is the formation of a multicolored arc in the sky, with red on the outside of the arch and the violet in the inner part. The rainbow always It is formed in the opposite direction to the sunwhich means that the observer must be between the sun and the region where rain drops are falling to see it.

He complete rainbow is a semicirclebut from the ground you usually only show the upper half due to the horizon line. In exceptional conditions, such as a great altitude, for example, from an plane, you can see a complete rainbow.

We explain how the rainbow forms.

Cloud irisation is a surprising and relatively rare atmospheric phenomenon that is characterized by Appearance of iridescent colors in the clouds. These colors can vary from soft pink, blue and green tones to more intense and bright colors, they are often presented in the form of small stripes or spots scattered in the cloud.

This phenomenon occurs when sunlight is refracted and dispersed by tiny drops of water or ice crystals present in the clouds, similar to what happens with a rainbow. However, unlike the rainbow, which is formed by refraction in water drops after the rain, the irisation of clouds occurs In thin clouds or high cloudssuch as cirrus or cirrostrates, which are mainly composed of ice crystals.

When sunlight affects these clouds, it is refracted and decomposed in its different wavelengths, thus creating the spectrum of visible colors in irisation. The colors can appear intermittently or in small areas of the cloudand its intensity and variety can change rapidly as the position of the sun or the composition of the cloud varies.

• Ulloa Gloria or Corona: It occurs when sunlight is reflected and refracted by drops of water or small fog particles in the atmosphere. Glory appears as a halo around the observer’s shadow on a surface similar to a cloud, such as clouds, fog or dew. The halo is formed by a series of concentric colored rings, red on the outside and blue inside.
• Green flash: It is an optical phenomenon that sometimes occurs before dawn or after sunset and consists of a visible green light for a brief period of time on the upper edge of the sun. It is caused by the refraction of sunlight in the Earth’s atmosphere, especially the different dispersion of colors by the atmosphere.
• Mirage: It is an optical phenomenon in which distant objects appear distorted, displaced, elevated or even invested due to the refraction of light in air layers of different temperatures in the atmosphere.

Now that you know that they are the photometeros, you may also be interested in this post about the types of clouds: names, characteristics and photos.

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