When thin clouds or tiny airborne particles wash over the Sun or Moon in the sky, a colorful phenomenon called the atmospheric corona may encircle these bodies like a crinoline skirt. The spectacle consists of two parts: a bright glow (known as the aureole) with a smoggy orange fringe centered on the object, and a series of fainter colored rings (graduating from blue on the inside to red on the outside) surrounding the aureole. You can photograph both with DSLR or manual cameras. Here’s how.

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