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heiligenschein

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Hei⋅li⋅gen⋅schein

[hahy-li-guhn-shahyn]
–noun, plural -schei⋅ne [-shahy-nuh] . German.
a ring of light around the shadow cast by a person's head, esp. on a dewy, sunlit lawn, caused by reflection and diffraction of light rays; halo.

Origin:
lit., saint's shining light
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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heiligenschein

bright white ring surrounding the shadow of the observer's head on a dew-covered lawn with a low solar elevation angle. The low solar angle causes an elongated shadow, so that the shadow of the head is far from the observer, a condition that is apparently required for Cellini's halo to be observed.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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