A sun dog (mock sun, parhelion) is an optical phenomenon in which bright spots appear in the sky, frequently on a ring around the sun.
Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22° distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun, and in ice halos. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but they are not always obvious or bright.
Know more:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/halo22.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog
Photo credit: Matej Kovac
Well this time I'll have to agree with you Jeff G ;)
ReplyDeleteWell took me a few seconds to agree with you...but then again I type from the future now =P
ReplyDeleteSleepless but with salsa dreams
ReplyDeleteYou can have that also with the moon, but not so colorful!
ReplyDeleteWe get quite beautiful sun dogs up here with all the ice crystals in the air during winter and the sun mostly just above the horizon. There is another phenomena as well during certain conditions where the ice crystals get aligned you can get a bright column shooting straight up from the sun.
ReplyDeleteThe Swedish flag is according to legend based on a a cross of light that Erik IX of Sweden saw when he invaded Finland in 1157. It could be a parhelion but the story is probably not true and just a color swapped version of the Danish flag which is the oldest flag still used today.