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“Best” High Solar Halos Photos Ever Captured in Tambopata
A boat ride down the Tambopata River in Peru this September took an incredible turn when rare optical phenomena, known as high altitude solar halos, were seen and photographed with what is being considered the best images of the solar halos ever recorded.
What appeared to be an upside-down rainbow at first glance out the side of the canoe ended up being part of the rainbow-filled display seen here. Biologist Phil Torres and photographer Jeff Cremer were there to document it in the images and video seen here while on a Tambopata Research Center photo tour.
What are high-altitude solar halos?
According to the atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley, these solar halos are caused by very specific reflections and refractions of the sun’s light with ice crystals located in cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere. Normal rainbows are created by interactions of the sunlight with low-level raindrops rather than high-altitude hexagonal crystals of ice.
Rainbow – Tambopata River
Solar halos seen in Tambopata. Image by Phil Torres
Cowley also mentioned that after first sharing the photos with others in the field of study, the consensus was that these images are considered “the best high sun halo images seen” and are strikingly clear compared to other images of this phenomenon, possibly because of the tropical origin opposed to a more temperate one typically associated with the halos.
Solar ice halos are seen in Tambopata. The fainter white halos are considered the rarest. Image by Phil Torres
Image by Steve Gettle
Aren’t these sun dogs?
No- many consider all ‘rainbows around the sun’ like these to be sun dogs, they are not. Sun dogs are a specific type of ice halo found closer to the horizon with paired glowing refractions horizontal with the sun, as seen here. The halos seen in Tambopata were considerably higher in the sky than a sun dog.
While many think these ice halos are found only in colder climates, Cowley says that they are actually present throughout the world.
A full analysis of the display can be seen on Optics Picture of the Day.
Simulation of the phenomenon with names of corresponding ice halos seen in the images.
Image created by Les Cowley with HaloSim.
By Phil Torres
Phil Torres is a biologist, science communicator, photographer, and television host based in New York City who works on projects all over the globe. His work ranges from leading specialized ecotourism trips to photographing expeditions to being an on-camera personality and presenter.
Find his videos online at The Jungle Diaries.
Follow Phil Torres on Twitter @phil_torres
Contact Philp: http://www.phil-torres.com/
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The lodge is located in the middle of the forest accessible only by boat. The experience was very unique and exciting. Service is great, and the fun part are the nature activities and tours the hotel offers for free. We had an amazing tour guide that had a lot of knowledge and was fun to spend time with. The rooms are totally open to the forest which is really cool the struggle is the there is no privacy at all in between the rooms, also food was pretty basic. All together a very unique experience. Read all
This hotel is the perfect blend of comfort and hospitality, with the natural experience. The hotel is reached by a hours boat ride from Puerto Maldonado, expertly organized and accomplished. Most staff are members of the local Esa Ejja community. The food is good and plentiful. Hot water is always available and lovely bedding features mosquito nets. There is of course no air conditioning (one side wall is open in rach room) and the electricity is off for a few hours at night affecting overhead fans, so I was glad to have brought a small battery powered fan for sleeping. But the best of the experience is the wildlife. Our expert guide Oscar Mishaja introduced us to nearly 100 bird species, along with caimans, river otters, poison dart frogs and capybara. A trip of a lifetime. Read all
Excellent experience overall— really kind and welcoming staff at every point of the journey. All transfers were well organized and smooth. Excellent and educational excursions all around the rainforest. Delicious food for every meal. We had wonderful guides- Freet and Alvaro. Enjoyed our time here! Read all
We had a surreal experience at Refugio Amazonas. From the well organized transportation to the warm welcome, hospitality and the experience of living in nature - we loved it all. Huge shout out to our guide Boris who went out of his way to ensure we had a good experience and got to watch all kinds of wild life. The meals and cocktails were delicious. And even though this place is smack in the middle of the jungle there was super fast WiFi available. We made unforgettable memories. Read all
We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. Read all
We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. This is the only lounge available in Tambopata national park, and this eco lounge takes environment seriously. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. If you are a natural lover, you can’t miss this place Read all
Excellent and luxurious place, wonderful experience and our guide Boris was first class, he had a unique patience with my 8 year old son. An experience in the tropical rainforest that marks the life of its visitors. In addition to the scientific research that takes place in the place: a whole research center. Rooms: Very comfortable and luxuriou Read all
El mejor hotel para visitar la Amazonia peruana. Hotel eco turístico metido en medio de la selva, equipado para visitar y vivir la selva, su flora y fauna, en todas sus facetas. Todo incluido, con guías preparados y amables, resultó una experiencia increíble para mi familia. Dentro de las opciones no se debe perder el Canopy de 45 metros de altura para observar y escuchar la selva, así como el lago de las tres Chimbadas, lugar único para ver caimanes, nutrias gigantes, monos y aves exóticas. Recomiendo mínimo dos noches!!! Read all
Wunderbare lodge mit freundlichen Menschen. sehr persönliche guides, tolle Tourangebote und super kulinarische Verpflegung ! Wir wurden herzlichst von Caesar empfangen und unser guide JuanJo hat uns phantastische Dinge gezeigt. Wir können die lodge nur wärmstens empfehlen! Read all
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