106 Star anfr Weather Gossip 



others. And it is only the brighter stars and planets 

 that can be seen in the encircling halo. 



Whilst I have always considered observations of 

 lunar halos to be of value to meteorological science, 

 they must be at the same time of value to those to 

 whom weather changes are of high importance. I 

 would instance farmers and seafarers. A Yorkshire 

 agriculturist once told me that he had kept a diary of 

 the weather over a period of forty years, noting the 

 appearance of the sky every day and especially such 

 phenomena as halos, either lunar or solar. He had 

 found, he said, that certain sky indications were soon 

 followed by the same type of weather, by which means 

 he had been able to conduct his farming with a 

 minimum of loss. I subsequently heard from a private 

 source that the " minimum of loss " meant a com- 

 paratively large fortune to his credit at the bank. 



IV 



Has the corona that rainbow-tinted ring round the 

 moon the same weather significance as the halo ? 

 My own experience teaches me that it is a sign of 

 coming cold weather rather than wet or windy. Mr. 

 Janney, whose observations of the lunar halo I have 

 already given, informs me that he has come to look 

 upon the corona as presaging fine and settled weather. 

 He records one " of the most transcendent beauty " 

 on December 6th, 1913, which formed " a broad band 

 of pearly light next to the moon's image ; then one 

 of light blue, encircled by a further belt of orange-red, 

 and an outside fringe of purple hue." Others were 

 visible on January 7th and 15th, 1914, and were 



