Saturday Sundogs

Sundogs - looking east on 190th St. NW in Warren MN

I've only seen a "sun dog" once in my life - the afternoon of 18 January 2012.  And wouldn't ya know it, I didn't have my camera.

I swore I wouldn't leave home without my camera again!

This morning, camera hanging from a lanyard around my neck, I headed out at 7:30am to deliver some papers to my boss in Warren.  To avoid getting stuck in drifting show, I decided to drive the 1.5 miles east to County Road 68, instead of driving directly west on township roads. 

I turned east as I pulled out of my driveway, and there it was - right in front of me:  a "sun dog."

Sundogs, usually spotted at dawn and dusk, are the pair of "suns" that sit to the left and right of the rising (or setting) sun - on a 22º radius circular halo.  More frequently seen than rainbows, sundogs, also known as parahelia, are formed by the sun's rays deflected by ice crystals.

I was surprised to learn that sundogs are visible all over the world and at any time of year regardless of the ground level temperature. In Europe and North America they occur about twice a week.  

I'm a birdwatcher who gets up early.   So why haven't I seen them before? 


You just can't miss them out here on the edge of the prairie!  Nothing blocks the sunrise and sunset.