A small rainbow spotted off the side of the sun is called a mock sun , sundog or parhelion (Greek, meaning “beside the sun”). This phenomenon may be rare, but it is just sunlight refracting through thin, falling ice crystals in the Earth’s atmosphere.
What does it mean when you see Sundogs?
Sundogs and Weather Prediction
Probably the biggest difference between the two is that a rainbow usually signals an end to the rain, while a sundog often means that rain, or snow is on the way. Next time you see a sundog, look out for wet weather !
What is Parahelio phenomenon?
A sun dog (or sundog) or mock sun, also called a parhelion (plural parhelia) in meteorology, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun . ... Sun dogs are best seen and most conspicuous when the Sun is near the horizon.
What is a parhelion parhelia )? How does it form?
Parhelia are the result of sunlight passing through hexagonal ice crystals contained within cirrus cloud . ... They often appear in conjunction with 22° Haloes which are produced under the same conditions.
What does a vertical rainbow mean?
A vertical rainbow, as photographed by Janet Pierucci.
It is formed when light rays pass through high cirrus clouds . The ice crystals in the clouds act as prisms and, if conditions are right, you get this rare phenomenon. ... Some high clouds have also made it muggy. Close to 80 degrees at our place in Anchor Bay.
What is a rainbow in winter called?
Sundog Formation
Sundogs can and do occur worldwide and during all seasons, but they are most common during winter months when ice crystals are more abundant. ... The ice crystals act like prisms, and as sunlight passes through them, it bends, separating into its component color wavelengths.
What is a small rainbow in a cloud called?
Iridescent clouds, known as “ fire rainbows ” or “rainbow clouds,” occur when sunlight diffracts off water droplets in the atmosphere. ... And sometimes moisture in that air suddenly condenses into tiny droplets to form a cap cloud.” This “cap”—which scientists call a “pileus”—is the source of the brilliant spectacle.
What is a sun halo called?
A sundog is a concentrated patch of sunlight occasionally seen about 22° to the left or right of the Sun. ... As with sundogs, hexagonal ice crystals suspended in cirrostratus clouds refract sunlight to create the halo, sometimes also called an icebow, nimbus, or gloriole .
What do three suns mean?
The doctrine of the Three Suns (Chinese: 三阳; pinyin: sānyáng) or three stages of the end-time (Chinese: 三期末劫; pinyin: sānqímòjié), or Three Ages, is a teleological and eschatological doctrine found in some Chinese salvationist religions and schools of Confucianism.
Why is it called a Sundog?
Sun dogs are the result of a circular halo around the sun . ... The term “sun dog” (or mock sun) originates from Greek mythology. It was believed the god Zeus walked his dogs across the sky and that the bright “false suns” in the sky on either side of the sun’s disk were the dogs.
What causes moondogs?
A moon dog, moondog, or mock moon, (scientific name paraselene, plural paraselenae, meaning “beside the moon”) is a relatively rare bright circular spot on a lunar halo caused by the refraction of moonlight by hexagonal-plate-shaped ice crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds .
What causes parhelion?
The parhelion is a member of the family of halos caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere . ... Parhelia typically appear as a pair of subtly colored patches of light, around 22° to the left and right of the Sun, and at the same altitude above the horizon as the Sun.
What causes a sunbow?
Sundogs are also known as mock suns or parhelia, which means “with the sun”. Sun Pillars: Sun Pillars appear as a shaft of light extending vertically above the sun, most often at sunrise or sundown. They develop as a result of ice crystals slowly falling through the air, reflecting the sun’s rays off of them .
What causes a straight rainbow?
Kim described it as a “straight rainbow just hovering in the sky at Arab City Hall.” ... As the sun rises higher in the sky, sunlight enters a portion of the ice crystal that is nearly vertical before exiting out the flat, horizontal bottom. As it does so, the light refracts and produces bright, prismatic colors.
What is a straight up rainbow called?
The circumzenithal arc, also called the circumzenith arc (CZA) , upside-down rainbow, and the Bravais arc, is an optical phenomenon similar in appearance to a rainbow, but belonging to the family of halos arising from refraction of sunlight through ice crystals, generally in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds, rather than ...
What is a horizontal rainbow called?
This type of rainbow is known as a circumhorizontal arc . The physics behind how these horizontal rainbows form is quite different than that of the typical rainbow. This optical phenomenon is brought on by the way in which light passes through suspended ice crystals in the atmosphere.
