These are one of my favorite cloud/weather phenomenons. You yourself have probably seen these in the sky, especially during sunrise or sunset, and wondered what is that… that’s kinda cool looking. They are called Sun Dogs.
Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season. In Europe and North America, they might be seen as often as twice a week but they are not always obvious or bright. They are best seen when the sun is low and you have a good layer of cirrus clouds (those whispy thin clouds).
The light from the sun refracts off the ice crystals in the cirrus clouds and forms prism like patches beside the sun. Sundogs are red colored at the side nearest the sun. Farther out from the sun, the colors change through oranges to blue. However, the colors overlap considerably and become more muted… they are never pure or saturated.
Areas around the world have seen some amazing displays of sundogs. For the more elaborate sundog, you’ll need some very cold conditions (the more ice crystals the better). But you can see them in the summer, they will just see them more often during sunrise or sunset.
*** When looking at or for sundogs.. make sure you don’t look directly at the sun. Block the sun with your hand or hands and look just off to either side and you just might see something very cool.
To see the different levels of sundogs from suttle to extreme, just google sundogs and ENJOY!!
Posted under humor, weather