Re: [OFF TOPIC] Anyone astronomical out there?

Scott Nolan wrote:
> 
> At 04:26 PM 3/10/98 +0000, you wrote:
> >To anyone out there with any astronomy/meteorology expertise:
> >I have a sky-watching question for you- last night the sky over
> Oxford, UK,
> >was very lightly cloudy/overcast, whith brighter stars visible. The
> moon,
> >however, seemed completely clear, as was the sky in a perfect circle
> round
> >it, perhaps 15-20 moon-diameters across. The effect was fascinating
> and
> >beautiful, but what did it? Obviously, the "clear patch" was also
> cloudy,
> >but the moonlight was getting through it more directly. Tyndall
> effect?
> >Ice crystals refracting the light? Some sort of "moonbow"? Will it be
> back?
> 
> I have seen this twice in my life, and it is beautiful. It is caused
> by ice crystals suspended high in the upper atmosphere.
> 
> Scott
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> "Yes, cigarettes. My hovercraft is full of eels."
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Scott C. Nolan
> nolan@erols.com

Is it really that rare?  I see it a couple times a year in Michigan and
Ontario.