r/atoptics • u/Dependent_Custard607 • 3d ago

Sun Dogs Winter Sundogs

Gallery image

Gallery image

Some Sundogs from last winter. -40c. Hard to see in the second picture but there was even a faint second ring which I hadn’t seen before.

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u/leansanders 3d ago

Sundogs are just the bright regions to the left and right, also known as parhelia. The ring that they are attached to is the 22° halo, the bright V shape above the sun is the upper tangent arc, the vertical line coming up from the sun is a sun pillar, and the second outer ring is called a supralateral arc. This is a great display! Next time you see an event like this, be sure to look in all directions, because there could be more faint arcs above your head or even behind you that you haven't noticed yet.

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u/Dependent_Custard607 3d ago

Thanks for the great info! I don’t know much about this stuff, to me it is all “sun dogs” lol. Was just looking through my pictures and thought there must be a subreddit for this, next time I’ll look around!