Due to the inflow of polar air in the night of december 1st to 2nd there was fog formation in the valleys of the ore mountains. At the top of Fichtelberg (1214m above sea level) Claudia Hinz could observe the lower tangent arc and in parts also the submoon repeatedly in the lower sea of clouds. About 03.45 CET single shreds of clouds rose from the valley and forms an extensive halo phenomenon for 5 minutes as it is rare at the moon certainly. There was the 22°-halo, both parhelia, bright upper and lower tangent arcs, the complete light pillar, 46°-halo, supra- and infralateral arc, parhelic circle, submoon and both subparhelia. The evaluation of the photos revealed the Parry arc, the Lowitz arc on the left side and the upper and lower Tape arcs.
During the day Wolfgang Hinz took over the further observation at the rim of the ore mountains. At the sun the halo types changed quite fast, too. Several times the 16 visual observed halo types formed phenomena including 19 halos. Pictures showed two more halo types. Some halos lasted just for minutes, whereas the 22°-halo and the parhelia were there from 9.30 CET to 13.00 CET. But they appered earlier and continued towards the later afternoon. The Halos were observed on top of Fichtelberg and its surrounding area, at the border to Bohemia and at the Czech ski area Neklid, as well as on the way home in the mountain village Tellerhäuser.
All in all, the following halo types were observed:
– 22°-halo with both parhelia
– Upper and lower tangent arc
– Upper and lower sun pillar
– Circumzenital arc
– 46°-Halo
– Parhelic circle
– The left Lowitz arc shortly
– Left 120°-parhelia
– Supra- and infralateral arcs
– Parry arc
– Subsun
– Tape arc’s
– Trickers’s anthelic arc
– Heliac arc
– Moilanen arc (faint)
– Subhelic arc (Photo)
– Anthelion (Photo)
Author: Claudia and Wolfgang Hinz, Schwarzenberg, Germany