# A sign of the Apocalypse, or...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sign-of-the-apocalypse-or/121333>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 29, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sign-of-the-apocalypse-or/121333 "2002-07-29T05:15:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SLingshot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SLingshot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLingshot)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sign-of-the-apocalypse-or/121333/1 "2002-07-29T05:15:29Z")

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Today, walking to lunch I saw the weirdest thing.

There was a rainbow in a perfect circle around the sun. My question is what would cause this and what is it called?

It was a bright sunny day with whisps of clouds. Any answers?

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sign-of-the-apocalypse-or/121333/2 "2002-07-29T05:42:56Z")

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It’s called a “glory”.

[http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/answers/539seaside.jsp?tp=seaside1](http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/answers/539seaside.jsp?tp=seaside1)

[http://www.polarization.com/rainbow/rainbow2.html#specter](http://www.polarization.com/rainbow/rainbow2.html#specter)  
[http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/news/marilyn3.html](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/news/marilyn3.html)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sign-of-the-apocalypse-or/121333/3 "2002-07-29T20:58:56Z")

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I’ve always heard the term “glory” used for a small ring of light around an observer’s shadow, when looking down at clouds. In other words, it’d be opposite of the Sun. What you describe would be a halo. They’re pretty common, but you were lucky to see one in a full circle: You usually only see an arc.