Rare Solar Halo Dazzles Kostanay Residents in Winter Sky

A striking solar halo appeared over Kostanay on December 20, 2025. The glowing ring, encircling the sun with faint rainbow colours, caught the attention of local residents during the morning hours. Experts later explained the rare but harmless phenomenon as a natural optical effect. The halo formed when sunlight passed through tiny ice crystals in high-altitude cirrus clouds. These crystals bent and reflected the light, creating a luminous circle around the sun. Such displays typically occur in freezing conditions, where thin, wispy clouds linger in the upper atmosphere.

Residents reported seeing the halo clearly in the first half of the day. While no official records exist of similar events in Kostanay over the past five years, meteorologists noted that these phenomena happen worldwide. They stressed that halos pose no threat, as they result purely from light interacting with ice particles. The sighting in Kostanay follows a pattern seen in cold climates across the globe. Though not frequently documented locally, such halos remain a normal part of atmospheric optics. Their appearance depends entirely on weather conditions and the presence of ice crystals high above the ground.