Seasons and sky
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.
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At a glance
- Found in
- Seasons & Earth Almanac
- Related
- Circumzenithal Arc, Brocken Spectre, Astronomical Season, Equinox
A Glory is an antisolar ring pattern formed in cloud or fog droplets.
A Sun-Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.
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The story behind Glory
Mountain observers described glories around their shadows before aircraft made viewing them from above clouds common.
Why Glory matters
Glory links observer geometry with droplet optics and commonly surrounds an aircraft or mountain shadow.
Glory in practice: an example
An airline passenger may see colored rings around the aircraft shadow on a cloud deck below.
Where readings of Glory go wrong
It is a mistake to confuse a Glory with a large ice-crystal halo; it is centered opposite the Sun and depends on droplets.
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
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Look around the antisolar shadow
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More in Seasons & Earth Almanac
- March Equinox
- Nautical Twilight
- Season Length Asymmetry
- Tidal Datum
- Astronomical Dusk
- Civil Dusk
- Diurnal Tide
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Common questions
What is a Glory?
A Glory is a set of small colored rings centered on the antisolar point, produced by backscattering and wave effects in water droplets.
What do people get wrong about a Glory?
It is a mistake to confuse a Glory with a large ice-crystal halo; it is centered opposite the Sun and depends on droplets.
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