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Sundogs (Parhelia)

2015-01-21 By Roger Edwards

Sundogs

Sundogs (also known as mock suns or, more technically, parhelia) sometimes can be seen 22° to the left and/or right of the sun, depending on the presence of thin high clouds that contain the right kind of ice crystals.  They result from the refraction of sunlight through one short edge, then another, of platy, hexagonal crystals.  Since the parhelia are horizontal with respect to the sun, a large number of the crystals need to be oriented horizontally at the time light passes through.  A faint 22° halo—formed as light refracts through randomly aligned crystals—connects the sundogs.   At the top of the halo, a faint upper tangent arc appears.  This memorable display of atmospheric optics began about half an hour earlier with a classical circumzenithal arc, which was largely gone by the time of this slide.

Norman OK (10 Feb 5) Looking WSW
35.2374, -97.4627

Filed Under: Visual Effects Tagged With: 22-degree halo, atmospheric optics, cirrus, Norman, Oklahoma, parhelia, radar, sundogs, tangent arc, University of Oklahoma

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About

Welcome to SkyPix, an online photo book of clouds, weather and water by Roger Edwards. As in a printed coffee-table book, every image has its own page with a unique story. After all, meaningful photography is much more than just picture-taking; it is visually rendering a moment in place and time from a perspective like none other. As a scientist and an artist, I hope my deep passion for the power and splendor of our skies and waters shines through in these pages. If you are a cloud and weather aficionado, outdoor enthusiast, outdoor or nature photographer, art lover, or anyone who craves learning, enjoy...

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Further images from this photographer may be found at:
Roger Edwards Image of the Week
Roger Edwards Digital Galleries
Storms Observed Chase BLOG

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