Antarctica has a great many optical phenomena of
rings and bright areas of light at particular angles from the sun or
moon. These are usually caused by the presence of ice crystals in
the atmosphere and are like a rainbow that is caused by similar conditions
(except of water droplets) are dependent on the relative angles of the
sun/moon and the viewer. If you can manage to drag yourself outside
on a bitterly cold night such as this must have been, you can be rewarded
with some magnificent atmospheric effects.
Painting by Dr. E.A. Wilson -
In: "Scott's Last Expedition", 1913.
Robert Falcon Scott,
Terra Nova Expedition 1910 - 1913
Picture courtesy NOAA