Yesterday evening (16 August 2016) saw a spectacular atmospheric phenomenon known as a sundog. In fact two sundogs briefly appeared, to the left and the right of the solar orb, in a lovely show of heavenly colours over the River Alt’s estuary.
A sun dog or sundog (also called a parhelion, plural parhelia, for ‘beside the sun’ or ‘mock sun’) is a particular type of ice halo. These coloured patches of light to the side of the sun may be seen anywhere in the world during any season.
In Europe or USA they might be seen once or twice per week but they are not always perceptibly bright. They are not rainbows but produced from ice crystals. Their forms may vary in appearance as well. Other types of halos may occur such us: supralateral arcs, sun pillars, infralateral arc, sunvex parry arc, etc.
Cirrus clouds frequently herald the sighting of sundogs.
The term sundog has been in use since the early 1600s. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans mentioned sundogs.
Moreover, this video is helpful in understanding that nothing is new under the sun…
See also:
http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/sun-dog-witnessed-over-ainsdale-on-16.html
Pat Regan ©
Submit News Contact us with your community, business or sport news. Phone 07581350321
Email ots@otsnews.co.uk
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Otsnews-Southport-1575528676012039/
Twitter www.twitter.com/onthespot_news
Breaking local news as it happens, searchable archives with photographs, the ability to instantly comment on news articles – there are so many advantages to OTS (Onthespot) News.
If you want your news read locally online then send it to ots@otsnews.co.uk – relying only on the newspaper is to restrict yourself to an ever reducing audience.
OTS News on Social Media