A ring-shaped, rainbow-like phenomenon appears over the Pacific Ocean west of the Baja California Peninsula, as seen by NASA’s Aqua satellite.

Known as a "glory," the phenomenon occurs thanks to the scattering of sunlight by a cloud consisting of same-size water droplets. This always appears in a spot directly opposite the sun from the viewer’s perspective, called the anti-solar point, where the shadow of the viewer would normally appear. People have observed glories in the shape of airplanes, hot air balloons, or even their own giant shadows.

This ring is about 37 miles (60 km) wide in the center, with red and orange wavelengths being most visible. A faint patch of green at the northwest perimeter of the central ring hints at another ring, and a faint orange oval nestles in the center of the central ring.

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— NASA and SPACE.com Staff

Credit: NASA