Corona in jetstream clouds (w-457-32)

In gallery: Photos of the month (2002)
Related photos: Atmospheric optics Diffraction phenomena Corona

A bright corona visible in the crest of a wave-cloud. The large windshear at that altitude, due to the jetstream, created the ripples and the turbulent eddies (the wind direction on the photo is from lower right to upper left). The pure colors in the corona indicate very uniform droplet sizes in the cirrocumulus.

Photo taken Oct. 6, 2002, in New Mexico, USA