CaribWorldNews, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thurs. Mar. 26, 2009: Guyanese nationals on Wednesday midday were stunned by a weird phenomenon.

Many looked up to see a bright series of colored concentric rings surrounding the sun with the Guyana Hydromet Office later dubbing it a `solar halo.` The `halo` was reportedly visible across the country and according to scientists, is caused `by refraction of sunlight through the edges of six-sided ice crystals in high clouds, surrounds the Sun. It is always colored red on the inside, blue on the outside, as blue light refracts more than red.`

Guyana Chief Hydromet Officer Bhalika Suellall explained that the experience was caused because thin clouds partially veiled the sun and suspended droplets or occasional particles of dust longer than that of the sun’s rays diffracted.

`The color appears when cloud droplets are of uniform size,` said Suellall in a press statement. `This spectacular atmospheric optical effect lasted for about 45 minutes and it is usually difficult to see because of the sun’s brightness. This bright ring of light seen, called a corona (meaning crown) is due to diffraction – the bending of light as it passes around objects such as tiny cloud droplets, or ice crystals.`