PHOTOS: NASA explains that ring around the sun

NEWS 96.5's newsroom was flooded with calls Wednesday afternoon from people wondering what is causing a prominent ring around the sun.

Listeners texted us pictures, and we went out and took a few ourselves.

Thanks to Severe Weather Center 9 meteorologist Brian Shields, we learn the phenomenon is called a 22 degree halo.

An email from NASA's Mike Curie explains further, telling us the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron says the halo is caused by refraction of sunlight from ice crystals. When those ice crystals are oriented randomly, it produces a complete halo around the sun.

So when the sun angle is just right, like today, Shields adds, you can see the halo.

Conversely, in case you are wondering, when crystals are oriented vertically, the refracted phenomenon called "sun dog" can occur.

A sun dog or "parhelton" displays itself as a bright spot (or spots, one on each side of the sun) on a halo.