If you looked up into the night sky last night, you might not have believed your eyes.
Those of you graced with clear skies may have been able to see a bright moon with a large ring, or 'halo', around it.
Matthew Cotter, 35 from Warwickshire, snapped a stunning photo of the rare phenomenon over Warwick Racecourse at 20:05 GMT last night.
Speaking to Mirror Online, he said: “My son and I were lucky enough to see an unusual ring around the moon last night.
“It was just quite an amazing spectacle to see and only lasted for ten minutes or so.”
Moon halos occur when high thin clouds containing millions of tiny ice crystals cover much of the sky.
NASA explained: “Each ice crystal acts like a miniature lens. Because most of the crystals have a similar elongated hexagonal shape, light entering one crystal face and exiting through the opposing face refracts 22 degrees, which corresponds to the radius of the Moon Halo.
“A similar Sun Halo may be visible during the day. Exactly how ice-crystals form in clouds remains under investigation."
Mr Cotter wasn’t the only person to see last night’s moon halo. Several other eagle-eyed viewers have taken to Twitter to share their own views of the lunar phenomenon.
Astrophotographer Alistair Hamill shared a stunning photo, writing: “Incredible 22 degree halo around the Moon tonight as it shone through a thin veil of cirrus cloud - the harbinger of a low pressure system headed our way tomorrow…!”
Did you see the moon halo last night? If so, please email your pictures in to TechNews@mirror.co.uk.
