Glitter Patch and Parhelia

September 09, 2003

Dcp06289

Referred by: Michael Ellestad
Summary authors & editors: Michael Ellestad

While on a canoe ride this past summer on Lake Archibald in Wisconsin, I stopped on one of the small islands to photograph glitter patch caused by light reflection off of the small wavelets. Glitter is a frequently observed optical phenomenon, but many people fail to realize that it's actually a multitude of tiny reflections of the Sun. While taking this photo I happened to notice the bright parhelion or sundog, at right, which is formed from light refracting through oriented hexagonal ice crystals (plate crystals).

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