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10:06pm August 22, 2013
spaceplasma:

Pine Pollen Corona

Water drops are not essential to make a corona, the bright aureole and rings we see around the moon or (when its bright disk is well shielded) the sun. 
Pollen grains shed in billions by spring trees produce excellent coronae. Grains from a single tree variety are same-sized and hence their coronae are sharp and multi-ringed. Unlike water droplets, pollens are non spherical.The grains have air sacs to help disperse them and these orient each grain. The result is anisotropic scattering and oval rings with bright areas. 
Light waves scattered from the outsides of small particles combine in a diffraction pattern to make a corona. Therefore the particles can be opaque. It little matters for corona formation whether small particles are transparent or opaque. What does matter is their size and their shape. 
Pollens are comparatively large and so their coronae are small. Look close to a well shielded sun (take care of your eyes!) or, preferably, search for them in the reflection of the sky in a pool or dark glass. 

Image Credit: Pekka Parviainen

spaceplasma:

Pine Pollen Corona

Water drops are not essential to make a corona, the bright aureole and rings we see around the moon or (when its bright disk is well shielded) the sun.

Pollen grains shed in billions by spring trees produce excellent coronae. Grains from a single tree variety are same-sized and hence their coronae are sharp and multi-ringed. Unlike water droplets, pollens are non spherical.The grains have air sacs to help disperse them and these orient each grain. The result is anisotropic scattering and oval rings with bright areas.

Light waves scattered from the outsides of small particles combine in a diffraction pattern to make a corona. Therefore the particles can be opaque. It little matters for corona formation whether small particles are transparent or opaque. What does matter is their size and their shape.

Pollens are comparatively large and so their coronae are small. Look close to a well shielded sun (take care of your eyes!) or, preferably, search for them in the reflection of the sky in a pool or dark glass.

Image Credit: Pekka Parviainen

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