Notice A Ring Around The Moon? Here's What It Means - WHSV

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Did you spot a ring around the moon Wednesday night? According to folklore, "A ring around the sun or moon means rain or snow is coming soon."

While that can be true, the clouds that caused the ring Wednesday night came from a rain storm across the south.

The ring, or a lunar halo, is caused by the refraction and reflection of light from ice crystals that are suspended in thin, wispy, cirrus or cirrostratus clouds that are at high altitudes.

As light passes through the ice crystals, it is bent at a 22-degree angle, creating a halo of 22 degrees. This ring can be very faint or very distinct based on the amount of cirrus clouds and/or the amount of light passing through them.