Heiligenschein

Heiligenschein is a fancy name for a really cool thing that happens when the sun shines on something like a person or a tree. Sometimes you might see a halo or a bright ring of light around the head of a person or the top of a tree. This shining circle is usually white or gray and makes the person or tree look a bit like they have a shining crown!

Now, let's learn how this happens!

When the sun shines on someone's head or a tree, lots of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the air get in the way of the sun's light. These droplets or crystals act like tiny mirrors that reflect the light back in different directions.

Now, when the light shines on someone's head or the top of a tree, it bounces back in most directions, including towards you (this is how you can see it!). But sometimes the light can also bounce in a really special way - it bounces back in almost straight lines, making it very bright and shiny.

When this bright light shines on the edge of someone's head or the top branches of a tree, it creates the heiligenschein! It's like a little circle of light that shines really bright because the light is bouncing in all the right directions.

So next time you see a heiligenschein, you'll know it's just the sun being caught by some tiny water droplets or ice crystals, making someone or something look really shiny and special!