UDAIPUR,September 14 (TIWN): It was at 11 in the morning. People were busy inside the houses as being a Sunday morning. Suddenly a shrill cry of 'Ulu' (uttered by women usually on a holy occasion) filled the sky and all on a sudden people came running out of their houses fearing that it was an earthquake.

But soon they revived their sense as someone saw a 'ball of clouds' surrounding the sun mixed with at least three colours of the rainbow. Soon the news spread everywhere and people too became curious to know what it really was. For sometimes though rumours spread about it having any religious reason connected with it. TIWN makes an effort to find out the truth. Scientific Officer of Gomati District Ayan Saha was immediately contacted. What he said is that it was nothing to do with anything superstitious or religious.

     He said," This is a rare atmospheric phenomenon and not at all a celestial event. It doesn't have any connection with solar storm or solar flares. There is an old weather saying ring around the moon called 'Rain Soon'. There is truth to this saying because high cirrus clouds often come before a storm. Halos are a sign of high this cirrus clouds drifting 20000 or more above our heads . These clouds contain millions of tiny ice crystals. The halos that are seen are caused by both refraction or splitting of light and also by reflection of light from these icy crystals . The crystals have to be oriented and positioned just so with respect to ones eyes in order for the halo to appear. That's why like rainbow halos around the sun or moon are personal. Everyone sees his or her own particular halo made by its own particular icy crystals, which are different from the icy crystals making halo of the persons standing next to another."

      However, there are religious sentiments also . Some old women folks said ," These ring of clouds are seen after many years when Gods and Goddesses assemble for 'Mahasava'(major meeting). " Some others say that these things are seen in the sky after a major event or the death of a great saint.