Odd Radius Display, Southern Ohio, USA, 17th August 2019

On the evening of Saturday, 17th August 2019, I observed this complex pyramidal halo display. In total, I saw a faint 9d halo, lower 9d plate arc, bright 18d plate arc, 18d halo, upper and lower 24d plate arcs and a weak upper 23d plate arc. This display is very similar to the one I captured in 2017, the only difference being the one in 2017 the lower 9d plate arc was bright and colorful and in the present display it was weak.

Odd radius plate display from the Czech Republic

On 4th March Jitka R. from the Czech republic captured this magnificent odd radius display on the Moon. After stacking multiple images, many halo forms showed up - particulary 9°, 18°, 20°, 24° and 35° halos, along with 9° and 24° plate arcs.

It was a case of sublimating cirrus, which could be easily seen on the satellite images.

And I have a question for the halo experts - is it possible that the 9° column arcs are captured, too? Or could it just be a cirrus of a higher quality?

Pyramids returned and came with multiple plate arcs

The halos I got earlier today ended at midday but while up mowing the ATV and foot trails I saw halos reappearing! I immediately saw a nice bright lower 9d plate arc my second one since 2002 and both lower 24d plate arcs my best to date! As the clouds moved in closer the halos got better the 18d plate arcs got bright and rather colorful and actually showed a slight curve. At 7:00PM when the sun got low enough for it to happen I got upper 9 and 24d plate arcs and those were two new halo forms for me.

From archives: odd radius column arcs in 2001

I saw this display in Oulu on 17 September 2001. Because the photos have not been around in the internet, I dare to make posting even though the event is not so recent.

The display has all the odd radius column arcs except the 23° arc. Images are stacked from 3-8 individual images. The one on the lower right is also flipped horizontally to get a bit more definition. For the upper left and lower images, simulations of the pyramid column arcs give crystals as in the figure. Also shown is similarly shaped real crystal, photographed during a weak odd radius column arc display at South Pole in 1999.

From pyramid plate crystals there is the 23° plate arc in all photos, and lower 9° and 24° plate arcs in the upper right photo. The display was discussed in more detail in September 2003 number of journal Weather. It also appears in the book "Atmospheric halos and the search for angle x" by Tape and Moilanen.

By Marko Riikonen