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Meteorological Spectacle Appears in Lhasa
Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, was presented with a meteorological spectacle Tuesday as a double aureole appeared in its blue sky.
This rare spectacle surprised both local residents and travelers on International Labor Day as they saw the shining sun surrounded by two bright homocentric circles.
Some pilgrims even believe the circles represented the luster of the Buddha which symbolizes millenarianism.
The inner circle had a diameter 20 times that of the sun and the space between the sun and the circle was pitch-black. The outer circle, meanwhile, had a diameter about 40 times that of the sun and the space between the inner and the outer circles was filled by deep blue.
The two circles themselves were predominately orange, gradually descending to yellow, green, blue, and white. Like a huge cap, the two circles cover almost the entire sky over the city.
A Tibetan meteorologist named Purbu Zhoima who has worked in Tibet for several decades said that it was the first time she ever saw such a scene.
Generally speaking, aureoles around the sun are caused by abundant vapor in the air, a high ground surface temperature and strong sun light, however, the reason behind such a large-scale double aureole has yet to be found out, she said.
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