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sun dog
Sign in to saveAlso known as sun dogs, parhelia, parhelion, sundog, mock sun, phantom sun
atmospheric optical phenomenon
A sun dog is a bright spot of light that appears in the sky near the sun, created when sunlight reflects and bends through ice crystals in the atmosphere. While it doesn't affect daily life, sun dogs are a beautiful example of how ice crystals can bend light in surprising ways and are interesting to observe and photograph.
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Very bright sun dogs in Fargo, North Dakota. Also visible are parts of the 22° halo (the arcs passing through each sun dog), a sun pillar (the vertical line), and the parhelic circle (the horizontal line).
A sun dog, sundog or mock sun, also called a parhelion (plural parhelia) in atmospheric science, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun. Two sun dogs often flank the Sun within a 22° halo, parallel to the horizon.