Sun halo spotted in Singapore sky at around noon

SINGAPORE — A halo around the sun was spotted in the sky over Singapore on Tuesday (Sept 22).

Social media and chat groups were abuzz this afternoon as people shared photos of the phenomenon, which occurred at around noon.

The National Environment Agency said that a halo can form around the sun when thin cirrus clouds drift high in the sky. Tiny ice crystals in the Earth’s atmosphere refract and reflect the light, producing the halo.

Senior manager Pooja Mayee, 37, said that she had received a photograph of the halo in a WhatsApp chat group, and realised she was able to see it from her home office in Marine Parade.

“It looked like this huge ring, with the sun shining on top of it,” Ms Pooja said. “It was pretty cool, not something that I’ve ever seen before.”

The sun halo was also visible in Bedok.

Retiree Neo Lay Tin, 64, said: “My family saw it around noon when we stepped out into our garden.” She described it as “a halo with rainbow colours forming a huge circle around the sun”.

“It was a beautiful and spectacular sight,” Mdm Neo said.

Mr Attley Ng, 60, was fixing his doorbell at his home in East Coast when his neighbour prompted him to look at the sky.

“It was beautiful,” Mr Ng, a retiree, said. “It’s quite common to see rainbows and double rainbows, but not a full circle.”

He said that the phenomenon appeared to have lasted almost half an hour, from about 11.50am to 12.15pm.