<p>So it looks something like this? <a href="https://cloud.planetmaker.de/index.php/s/RkmkBNfb8YyDHSE" rel="noreferrer">https://cloud.planetmaker.de/index.php/s/RkmkBNfb8YyDHSE</a></p>

<p>That sounds like the circum-horizontal ring (yes a name as simple as that). It (probably) is caused by hexagonal ice crystals floating horizontally. Where it touches the 22° halo you might see sun dogs which can be slightly colourful brighter patches.</p>

<p>See also <a href="https://www.meteoros.de/themen/halos/haloarten/" rel="noreferrer">https://www.meteoros.de/themen/halos/haloarten/</a> (German) and <a href="http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm" rel="noreferrer">http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T02:37:06.603Z
see also [Why are these patterns of scattered sunlight aligned to the local horizontal and vertical directions?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/14451/6031)
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-23T12:26:39.017Z
2020-04-23T12:31:40.447Z
2020-04-23T12:31:40.447Z
planetmaker
<p>My friend sent me a video of a kind of a halo phenomenon and asked me what kind of halo it is.</p>

<p>There is a 22 degree circular halo around the sun.</p>

<p>But there is also a ring which seems to go horizontally around the entire sky. The ring is the same height as the sun. It seems to start and end where the 22 halo is at the same height as the sun (3 and 9 o'clock on the halo) and goes horizontally around the sky.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-24T19:14:47.333Z
Good question, but this is one for Earth Science. Halos are generated low in the atmosphere.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-25T09:40:37.433Z
@JamesK Atmospheric effects that have an impact on astronomical observations should be on topic.
usernumber
<the-sun><optics>
What kind of halo is this?
Kantura
# What kind of halo is this?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-23)

My friend sent me a video of a kind of a halo phenomenon and asked me what kind of halo it is.

There is a 22 degree circular halo around the sun.

But there is also a ring which seems to go horizontally around the entire sky. The ring is the same height as the sun. It seems to start and end where the 22 halo is at the same height as the sun (3 and 9 o'clock on the halo) and goes horizontally around the sky.

**Tags:** the-sun, optics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Good question, but this is one for Earth Science. Halos are generated low in the atmosphere.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 Atmospheric effects that have an impact on astronomical observations should be on topic.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-04-23. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

So it looks something like this? <https://cloud.username_3.de/index.php/s/RkmkBNfb8YyDHSE>

That sounds like the circum-horizontal ring (yes a name as simple as that). It (probably) is caused by hexagonal ice crystals floating horizontally. Where it touches the 22° halo you might see sun dogs which can be slightly colourful brighter patches.

See also <https://www.meteoros.de/themen/halos/haloarten/> (German) and <http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm>

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: see also [Why are these patterns of scattered sunlight aligned to the local horizontal and vertical directions?](https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/14451/6031)  

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