Latest update:21 December 2025 at 10:48 PM IST

A mesmerizing solar corona with lively sun dogs was photographed in Jämtland, Sweden by Viktoria Reinerstahl, showcasing rare atmospheric optics caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds.

A mesmerizing solar corona with lively sun dogs was photographed in Jämtland, Sweden by Viktoria Reinerstahl, showcasing rare atmospheric optics caused by ice crystals in cirrus clouds. (Image: X)

A stunning video has gone viral showing a glowing ring surrounding the sun – complete with bright glows and faint rainbow shapes – leaving viewers mesmerized by what many have dubbed a ‘celestial crown’.

The footage was taken on a harsh winter day Jämtlandwhere clear skies and freezing temperatures created the perfect conditions for hitting Sun coronaa rare-looking but well-understood atmospheric phenomenon.

What is the sun’s corona?

The most common type, known as Halo 22 degreesIt appears as a bright circle around the Sun with a radius of about 22 degrees, which is approximately the width of a hand extended at arm’s length. In the Jämtland video, the entire episode is shown as well as the liveliness Sun dogs – Bright spots on either side of the sun – and delicate colored fringes give the scene an almost ethereal glow.

Such displays are more frequent in cold regions such as Scandinavia, especially in winter, when the sun is low on the horizon. This low angle makes the halo appear larger and more dramatic against the pale blue sky.

The science behind the scene

High above the ground, at altitudes ranging from five to ten kilometers, thin Thin clouds Drifting through the atmosphere. These wispy clouds are filled with countless microscopic ice crystals, each shaped like a perfect hexagon. The crystals act like tiny prisms, bending sunlight as it passes through them.

When light enters and leaves the sides of these hexagonal crystals, it is refracted at an angle of at least 22 degrees. Because the crystals tumble randomly as they fall, light from all directions is bent in the same way. The combined effect of millions of refracted rays creates the bright circular corona around the Sun.

The subtle colors of the rainbow appear because different wavelengths of light are bent in slightly different amounts. Red light is bent less and forms the inner edge of the corona, while blue and violet are bent more and appear toward the outer edge.

Why do sun dogs appear?

Bright spots surrounding the Sun – known as Sun dogs or Parhelia – They form when ice crystals are flat and plate-shaped. As these crystals drift downward, they tend to align horizontally, focusing sunlight into two glowing spots on either side of the sun, often with striking color separation.

Viewers online described the scene as “nature at its best” and a “crown of heaven”. In fact, it’s pure physics, and a reminder that the interaction of ordinary sunlight with tiny ice crystals can produce some of the most dramatic scenes in the sky.