By Francis Nansak, Lafia
At the wake of Wednesday, precisely at about 7am when most residents were preparing for the day’s business and getting their wards set for school, an unusual brightness of the sun with intense heat appeared in their living rooms.
The situation left hundreds of people in Wamba, Keffi in Nasarawa State, and Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, bewildered, with others viewing it differently and attaching biblical end-time predictions to the circumstance.
From Wamba, one Mr. John Joseph said people were scared. “The heat was tripled, and the sun was barely seen as if it would burst out in no distant time.” He said
Mr. John Joseph described an eclipse-like phenomenon with multiple suns in a ring beside the normal big sun.
In Keffi, at 10am, the ray of the sun and how hot the weather turned out to be was unimaginable. The brightness was like moonlight, and the scorch on human beings was heavy despite the breeze.
A few persons contacted simply said, “Climate change is what the world is undergoing, so things like this can be attributed to climatic conditions.
Others concluded, “We are at the end time; scientists may have their ways of describing each condition, but we know the world is coming to an end, coupled with sins committed. God’s punishment starts right here, just like Israelites had it at some point in their life history.”
But on the contrary, which gives deep knowledge of what was experienced this morning, a Chemistry Professor with the University of Jos, Professor Lohdip Yilkur, and Mr Sam Gamla ,all being laosa Alumi averred that
“What you’re seeing is a solar halo with sundogs—a beautiful bit of atmospheric optics. Here’s what’s going on: The big faint circle around the Sun is a 22° halo. It forms when sunlight passes through hexagonal ice crystals high up in thin cirrus clouds. The light bends (refracts) at a very specific angle—about 22 degrees, creating that ring.”
“The bright rainbow-like spots on the left and right are sundogs (also called parhelia). They appear when the ice crystals are plate-shaped and mostly horizontal, concentrating light into those colorful side spots. Red is usually closest to the Sun, with blue farther out,” Professor Lohdip submits.
He added that this condition often precedes changes in weather (like an approaching system), but the display itself is harmless.
The Daily Monitor reports that, as at the time of filing this report, some homes with air conditioners fitted complained of heat resulting from the experience this morning with the over-bright sunlight. Others at their workplaces are habiting under trees for fresh air.
