The sun was encompassed by a splendid aureola with the color changing from red in the inner circle to purple in the outer circle, attracting crowds of people on the streets to look at the spectacle.

According to experts, a solar halo is an unusual yet normal phenomenon and has no disastrous effects.

The colorful halo disappeared after an hour. Some local citizens said they had never seen such a sight, and tourists were hurrying against time to take pictures.

Experts explained that the phenomenon occurred because of clouds of ice crystals in the sky, refracted sunlight and broke it into its original spectrum. The phenomenon has been used to forecast weather changes, suggesting that it may turn overcast or start to rain, according to experts.

(People's Daily July 10, 2003)