New year on the horizon

A quick cold snap on New Year's Eve Day yielded an atmospheric phenomenon technically named parhelia, or a sun halo. Also known as an icebow, nimbus or gloriole, sun halos occur when hexagonal ice crystals suspended in cirrostratus clouds refract sunlight to create a 22 degree arc around the sun.

Unlike the more commonly sighted sundogs, which generally are visible only when the sun is near the ho...