If you were outside Monday evening, you probably noticed a large ring around the moon. This was a lunar halo, caused ice crystals from cirrus clouds. These clouds are about 25,000 ft in altitude, and began streaming in from the west over the northern Gulf during the day Monday. The moonlight shining through the ice crystals in the clouds is what creates this ring around the moon. These also can occur during the day with the sun.
Another fascinating thing was the fact that Jupiter was in plain view adjacent to the moon. This is the closest Jupiter will be to the moon until the year 2026. I hope you got a chance to check out this incredible spectacle in the sky!
Find out more about lunar halos here:
http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon
Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley
