ring around the moon

[Brian W]

Hi all, this may be more of an observing question than a science question but here goes;

last night there was a huge ring around the moon. Not a moon-bow with pale colours just a very discernible cloud ring within the stratus(?) cloud.

Now moon-bows come from ice crystals (or so I believe ) but this was just a large thick ring.

Just wondering what causes such a thing?

Brian

[supernova1965]

I don't know what it is but I once saw a thin ring around the moon like a silver ring very bright and sharp.

[renormalised]

Most of these sorts of phenomena are caused by water droplets and/or ice particles in the clouds themselves.

[supernova1965]

What about on a cloudless night what would cause the thin silver ring I saw:question:

[Brian W]

Ok Carl, so moon-bows, the sharp silver circle and what I saw last night are the moons reflected light shining through ice crystals and what we actually see depends on a lot of variables.

And I am sure there must be a more precise way to talk about the suns light that is reflected off the moons surface but I need both a coffee and a nap.
Brian

[bojan]

This still does not mean there were no water droplets and/or ice crystals present in the higher layers of atmosphere.. cloudless still doesn't mean 100% transparent ;)