At an elevation of c. 70° or more, the shape of the circumscribed halo approaches a circle, and as such becomes nearly indistinguishable from the 22° halo, only to be identified by its tendency to show more saturated colors than the latter. When the Sun or Moon is at an elevation lower than c. 35°, the circumscribed halo breaks up into the upper tangent and lower tangent arcs.
At an elevation of approximately 70° or higher, the shape of the surrounding ring halo resembles a circle, making it nearly indistinguishable from the 22° halo, which can be distinguished by its tendency to display more vivid colors. When the Sun or Moon is at an elevation below approximately 35°, the circumscribed halo breaks into two distinct arc shapes.