Dictionary term
Glory
Direct answer
Glory: A Glory is a set of small colored rings centered on the antisolar point, produced by backscattering and wave effects in water droplets.
A Glory is an antisolar ring pattern formed in cloud or fog droplets.
A Glory is an antisolar ring pattern formed in cloud or fog droplets.
A Sun–Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Glory in atmospheric-optics, aviation, and mountain-weather education.
- Do not use it for
- Do not confuse a Glory with a large ice-crystal halo; it is centered opposite the Sun and depends on droplets.
- Reference category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related terms
- Circumzenithal Arc, Brocken Spectre, Astronomical Season, Equinox
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The story behind Glory
Mountain observers described glories around their shadows before aircraft made viewing them from above clouds common.
Glory in spiritual tradition
Spiritually, a Glory can be beautiful without proving sanctity, selection, or supernatural presence.
Glory: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual calendar, astronomy, Earth-science, cultural-history, or observational reference. It can support wonder and practical planning without becoming a claim of fate, spiritual causation, or private revelation.
Glory in numerology
Glory is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Glory matters
It links observer geometry with droplet optics and commonly surrounds an aircraft or mountain shadow.
Glory at work: an example
An airline passenger may see colored rings around the aircraft shadow on a cloud deck below.
Where interpretation stops
Glory is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- National Weather Service: Atmospheric Optics - NWS science reference for halos, pillars, sundogs, green flashes, rays, and related optical displays.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Also appears in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Look around the antisolar shadow
Glory in a book is one thing; Glory in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
Speak with the OracleRelated terms
More in Seasons & Earth Almanac
- March Equinox
- Nautical Twilight
- Season Length Asymmetry
- Tidal Datum
- Astronomical Dusk
- Civil Dusk
- Diurnal Tide
Common questions
What is Glory?
A Glory is a set of small colored rings centered on the antisolar point, produced by backscattering and wave effects in water droplets.
How is Glory used in an almanac?
Use Glory in atmospheric-optics, aviation, and mountain-weather education.
What should I avoid when interpreting Glory?
Do not confuse a Glory with a large ice-crystal halo; it is centered opposite the Sun and depends on droplets.
