Diego_Sideburns Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 On a flight back from Dublin to East Midlands on Sunday I spotted a rainbow-coloured doughnut-shaped image through the plane window. I took these three pictures: After editing (cropping and auto fixing) the images look like this: I am at a loss to explain why the image appeared in the first place and why it went from an empty shape to one containing a silhouette of the plane. It brings a whole new meaniing to the SRFC song 'Hoops are in the air'. I have flown many thousands of miles but never seen anything like this before. Has anyone else experienced this sort of thing? Can anyone explain it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboafc Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 it could be a reflection from your camera , or the plane was letting off fuel ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footy68 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I'd say it could be to do with vapour and light playing tricks, maybe TTD could explain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 it could be a reflection from your camera , or the plane was letting off fuel ! The image was there before I got the camera out. On a short flight with Ryanair, and a 25 minute turnround at each destination, there is no possibility of any fuel proving to be surplus to requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 It's the light reflecting off a point on the plane in shallow clouds (water droplets) creating a spectrum. Like a lens flare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 It's the light reflecting off a point on the plane in shallow clouds (water droplets) creating a spectrum. Like a lens flare. / Came here to say that. // Keep moving... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 You're all wrong. It was a Martian symbol, giving us prior notice that they intend to come down within the next fortnight and breed with all of us. Man, woman or child. We're doomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboafc Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 You're all wrong. It was a Martian symbol, giving us prior notice that they intend to come down within the next fortnight and breed with all of us. Man, woman or child. We're doomed. one;s here already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 (edited) It's the light reflecting off a point on the plane in shallow clouds (water droplets) creating a spectrum. Like a lens flare. Cheers! Whoever said you learn something new on here every day was correct. A Google reveals that what I saw was called a glory. The glory, like the corona, is also caused by diffraction. It is sometimes known by another term that helps explain its existence: The "Anti-corona". Usually flying in an aircraft is one of the main ways to see a glory, although other ways of observing one is by standing on a mountain ledge; someplace where you can see the sun direct light through you to water droplets on the other side. When spherical cloud droplets are sufficiently uniform and small (around 50 µm in diameter). The sunlight would diffract around you and then the interference pattern would be revealed in the clouds below or the fog beyond. The plane's shadow or a person's shadow would be in the centre of this image, with the rings of light and/or colour surrounding it. The angular distance of the glory depends on the size of the uniform water droplets, not the size of the shadow, so sometimes a plane can cast a tiny shadow on a cloud, but the glory will still show the same angular size. This is the picture with the description: That reminds me there is a traditional song which goes: "Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory (of The Coming Of The Lord)" The plane took off from Dublin at 14:38 and when Mrs S switched on her phone outside East Midlands Airport, there was a text timed at 14:38 saying that Shez had left the Club. Later she received one telling her of the second coming. Spooky or what? P.S. I've just caught up with the thread from Sunday when the news of Shez's departure broke at 14:17 - that was the time I was taking the photos and the glory disappeared. Hope there are more glory days to come. Edited March 19, 2009 by Diego_Sideburns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetramfixer Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Cheers! Whoever said you learn something new on here every day was correct. A Google reveals that what I saw was called a glory. The glory, like the corona, is also caused by diffraction. It is sometimes known by another term that helps explain its existence: The "Anti-corona". Usually flying in an aircraft is one of the main ways to see a glory, although other ways of observing one is by standing on a mountain ledge; someplace where you can see the sun direct light through you to water droplets on the other side. When spherical cloud droplets are sufficiently uniform and small (around 50 µm in diameter). The sunlight would diffract around you and then the interference pattern would be revealed in the clouds below or the fog beyond. The plane's shadow or a person's shadow would be in the centre of this image, with the rings of light and/or colour surrounding it. The angular distance of the glory depends on the size of the uniform water droplets, not the size of the shadow, so sometimes a plane can cast a tiny shadow on a cloud, but the glory will still show the same angular size. yep .... i was just about to say the same thing!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footy68 Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 If you were flying in the morning then surely this is the true meaning of 'morning glory'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 If you were flying in the morning then surely this is the true meaning of 'morning glory'? Is the hole in the centre the 'glory hole'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonelylaticsfaninaus Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Is the hole in the centre the 'glory hole'? It was Shez's halo returning to it's rightful owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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