Sundogs!

[corvi]

Saw a faint sundog today on the way home, yay! 

Sundogs are caused by ice crystals floating high in the atmosphere. When sunlight enters the crystal on the way to earth, it is bent, so when the light reaches the viewer, it looks like it came from a different point in the sky. If a whole bunch of crystals are the same size and shape, they'll all make the light look like it's coming from the same fake-sun location. To get a fake sun in this location, you need flat, hexagonal crystals, like bathroom tiles, floating horizontally.

They normally show up in matched pairs, one on each side of the sun, but I couldn't spot the other one.

Comments

[twoeleven]

I get lonely sundogs all the time around here. I rarely see them in pairs.

[corvi]

Maybe our missing sundog felt adventurous and went to hang out in your sky. :)

[maellenkleth]

Lovely ice-clouds today, above Stary Vancouver.

And I shall wave while the tinyplane makes its climbing turn above Sand Heads. ^_^

[randomdreams]

I rarely see those, and have never gotten such a good picture.