Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Halos around the Sun and the Moon

This Sunday (11-07-2010) kept me busy answering some inquisitive calls form Bangalore and Hosur. The calls were about a similar phenomenon witnessed in the sky on that day before noon. The sun was seen surrounded by a huge ring, reported some. Another said that the sun was looking surrounded by 2 circles, one separated long way from the other. On the same day, Chennaites also witnessed a peculiar Sun surrounded by a huge halo.

Picture courtesy:


My callers were curious to know if it foretells something.

Yes, but then the sun or the moon appearing with halos is a common sight in rainy season. The month in which they appear with halo matters first. There are rain clouds around Bangalore these days and that is the natural cause for the halo around the sun. Chennai also is receiving some rains these days (reminds me of the unusual foggy days in December and January last. Meteorologically that was a good sign for rains after 195 days which means some rains now in July) Varahamihira concedes an obvious scientific reason for halos.

Most of the callers told that the halo was white or glossy with a concentric circle in light brown.

Generally when the color of the halo is white, milky white, silverish, or glossy in complete circle around the sun or the moon, that ensures good rains to come.

If the halo is tinged with peacock blue, that ensures immediate rains.

If the halo is found closer to the luminary, it foretells rains in places away from where the on-looker sees it.

If the halo is found as a circle away from the luminary, it shows rains may arrive at any time at the place of the on-looker.

These are the basic tips that our ancestors used so that they could prepare themselves for immediate rains or expected rains.

Generally for 4 months starting form Margashira (December- January), the morning sun will appear glossy or surrounded by halo. That is a good occurrence for a bountiful rainy day 195 days after the occurrence.

The moon generally appears with halos in rainy season. It shows good moisture content in the air. My previous article on halo around the moon can be read here.

Astrology of Halo of the Moon

For making predictions, the halos must last for long hours or must be in some colors.

According to sage Garga, if the halo appears around the sun or the moon for a full day, it means that the ruler will perish.

If the halo appears for 7 consecutive days, the country will perish.

The color of the halo frequently changing from red to different hues throughout the day, it also foretells some danger to the land.

The color should not be smoky or red. That foretells some fear to the people.

If the halos look huge when the luminaries are in the horizon or in the meridian and birds make unusual cries looking away form the luminaries, and if meteors cross the halos, that shows some impending danger to the land. My guess is that such occurrences can be seen when a fatal earthquake or volcanic eruption is about to happen. There may be some emissions from the earth mixing with the atmosphere, thereby giving rise to the halos on such occasions.

Varahamihira gives details of the predictions for halos based on the lunar thithis.

Based on that, Sunday' halo on a No - moon day (Amavasya) shows some bad times for rulers in the places where it is seen.

A particular pattern of 3 concentric circles of halo must be watched for their color during war times, or when a country is facing threat of war or insurgency or even terrorist activities.

When 3 distinct circles of halo appear, we must assume that the inner circle represents citizens, the outer circle represents the defense forces and the middle circle represents the insurgents.

The color of any of these in red foretells defeat or suffering for the entities the circle represents.

A glossy, white or bright color for a circle foretells victory or relief for the entities that circle represents.

At all times a glossy or pale or white or bright or any light tinged color is good rather than a brightly colored halo.

Red is feared color while blue is an auspicious one.

Tinge of black or grey is also pre-monitive of arrival of rains.

Going by the color of the halo on Sunday reported from Bangalore and Chennai, I must say that it was indicative of rains.

The color had been glossy with a tinge of brown in Bangalore, 2 concentric rings in Hosur, with an inner glossy and an outer ring with a brown tinge, whereas it was a huge glossy ring away from the sun in Chennai.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is all very interesting and yet kind of disappointing.
I always love to see these. Solar or lunar, and was kind of
Hoping there was a more romantic or magical
Belief involving there presence.