Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sun Dog and the Rising Sun
A Sun dog, scientific name parhelion (Greek for "beside the sun") is an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light
in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.
Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22° distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun, and in ice halos. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but they are not always obvious or bright. Sundogs are best seen and are most conspicuous when the sun is low.
In her history Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance, telling the story of Endurance's ill-fated polar expedition in 1912, Jennifer Armstrong writes:
… All around them, too, were signs that the Antarctic winter was fast approaching: there were now twelve hours of darkness, and during the daylight hours petrels and terns fled toward the north. Skuas kept up a screeching clamor, and penguins on the move honked and brayed from the ice for miles around. Killer whales cruised the open leads, blowing spouts of icy spray. The tricks of the Antarctic atmosphere brought mock suns and green sunsets, and showers of jewel-coloured ice crystals.
The poet Aratus (Phaenomena 880-891) mentions parhelia as part of his catalogue of Weather Signs; for him, they can indicate rain, wind, or an approaching storm.
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