Ring Around The Moon Creates An Erie Sky This Morning
It's not uncommon for me and the moon to spend some time together on my journey into work every morning. I usually pause in the parking lot behind the radio station to glance upward, say a prayer for a better day, and then head into the building to begin my workday.
This morning when I looked up I noticed there was something different about the early morning sky. My old chum the moon had a very nice ring around it. It's not the first time I've ever seen a lunar halo and it probably won't be the last.
What causes the ring around the moon? Why of course it's alien beings trying to send a message those of us who inhabit the Earth. Or, it could be high thin cirrus clouds in the upper reaches of the atmosphere refracting the reflected sunlight from the moon.
You knew that right? The moon doesn't make its own light? It's just the sun shining on the moon and we get to see the reflection.
Folklore suggests that this "halo" around the moon was a foreboding of bad weather. Well, that myth does have a bit of scientific base. The appearance of cirrus clouds usually means a change in the weather is coming. It doesn't necessarily mean storms or rain but it could.
There is also a bit of folklore that suggests that if you count the number of stars within the ring that's how many days it will be until the inclement weather starts. I observed one star within the ring this morning. However, Daniel Phillips at KATC is suggesting that the forecast for Thursday and Friday will be rain free.
So, let's see who has got a better handle on the forecast. Will it be the ring around the moon or will it be science?