What in Sam Hill is a Sun Dog? I'm so glad you asked!
Only my favourite atmospheric phenomenon!! I love these things.
I wrote this in response to @sultnpapper 's hilarious exclamation of, "What in Sam Hill is a Sundog" to which I promptly Googled: what in Sam Hill is Sam Hill. Upon discovering it's delightful definition I wanted to share some of my love of sundogs, so here they are. ♥️ Thanks for the inspiration.
"A sun dog (or sundog), formally called a parhelion (plural parhelia) in meteorology, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to the left and/or right of the Sun. Two sun dogs often flank the Sun within a 22° halo."
They are beautifully subtle most of the time but every now and again the conditions will create a magnificent one. Mainly due to their sheer size, I find them a little tricky to capture in a photo. Always appreciated better in person, perhaps this is why I like them so much. You just have to see for yourself.
Here's a few that I've collected over the years.
.jpg)
.jpg)
"The sky is the daily bread for the eyes"
-Ralf Waldo Emerson
He's cool too, check him out here
.jpg)
That second image also has a really beautiful parhelic circle (http://atoptics.co.uk/halo/pclow.htm). I wrote a post here https://steemit.com/sundog/@jonshock/when-your-crystals-are-like-plates-you-get-sundogs explaining all about the sun dog. Let me know if it is useful.
Wow I thought this website was gone! Nice to see a few comments after not being on here for 5 months :)