The Ibis

The pioneering balloonist Albert Tissandier witnessed this lunar halo during his March 1875 flight from Paris to Arcachon. Halos like these appear when the light of the Sun or Moon is refracted through the tiny ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds. They are often visible from Earth, but to experience one while drifting through the night sky, the moonlight shimmering upon the clouds below, must have been transcendental. A month later, he would barely escape death by asphyxiation as he and his (less fortunate) crew achieved a record altitude of 28,000 ft.

A print of this work is available in our store: https://www.theibis.net/product/albert-tissandier-lunar-halo-observed-by-balloon-c-1875-1880/