Sun Goes Down

Have you ever noticed, while looking at the sun, a faint glowing ring around it? That’s a halo.

You’re most likely to see it at sunrise or sunset, when the sun sits low on the horizon. In our region, it appears especially often in winter, during sharp cold spells (today, for example, it’s −35 °C outside).

But I took these photos on one of the hottest days of August. I don’t remember thinking about halos at the time — probably not at all. I only noticed it afterward, in the images.

A halo forms when sunlight passes through tiny ice crystals high in the atmosphere, bending at a specific angle. No magic — just physics. Still, you don’t always see it; usually, you need a clear, cloudless sky.

Nothing special. No effects. Natural light, minimal editing. These four shots aren’t an attempt to capture beauty — they’re just a record of a moment. I like how the 300mm lens, on its own, renders these scenes dark and contrasty. And they bring back the feeling of that evening, even years later.

Thank you for stopping by!

Southern Urals, Russia.
August, 2021.
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