It was almost midnight when I spotted a very strong halo around the moon from the balcony of a chalet in the Swiss Alps this January. I immediately took my camera equipment and run outside into the very cold night. From there, I was rewarded with additional, very rare halo displays, notably a paraselenic circle, which passes through the moon and makes a huge circle around the sky. Atmospheric optics phenomena are caused by reflection, refraction and diffraction of light by tiny airborne ice crystals. Also visible: 22 degree halo, circumscribed halo, moondog.