It was an historic day as Pope Francis addressed Congress Thursday morning, September 24, 2015.
But for a meteorologist, paying close attention to the sky outside, a special sight appeared.
Kim Klockow, a post-doctorate meteorologist with the National Weather Service, snapped and shared a photo of what she saw.
“As the Pope came out onto the balcony, a friend pointed to the sky and said, ‘Look, a rainbow!'”
Klockow recognized the phenomenon as a “parhelion.” She says the sight only appeared for the minute or two that Pope Francis came out of the building, then it faded away.
Parhelions are also known as atmospheric halos or ‘sun dogs.’ They appear as a result of the light from the sun, refracting on ice crystals, high within cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. They are most often seen in the cold, winter months (when cirrus clouds are most likely). However, in rare occasions they can be seen when the weather at ground level is warm. They are usually a sign of changing weather.
-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen
