This phenomenon is known as the aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and the aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere. However, the borealis has been seen as far south as Mexico City and the australis has been seen as far north as Brisbane, Australia. Auroras are especially unique because they can actually be hazardous. They disrupt radio communications, because they create static. Auroras generally appear in the high latitudes, but can appear in the lower latitudes like the examples given above.
Haloes are white or faintly colored rings encircling the sun or moon .
When a haloe has visible colors, red appears closest to the center and blue on the outside. Note this is the opposite of coronas, which were previously discussed. However, like coronas, haloes are sometimes associated with a frontal system, which is cold . White haloes occur when light is refracted by ice crystals, which are usually associated with thin, high-level clouds. Cirrostratus is a good example of the type of cloud that could be present when haloes form.