Sundogs Above Schomberg, Ontario

November 15, 2007

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Provided and copyright by: David Wigglesworth, Schomberg Veterinary Services
Summary authors & editors: David Wigglesworth

The photo above shows a fine example of a pair of very bright sundogs as viewed from Schomberg, Ontario, Canada. There's also a faint tracing of a 22 degree halo as well as a poorly defined sun pillar. Sundogs are formed by light entering one side of a horizontally aligned, hexagonal shaped ice crystal and exiting through a side face, which is inclined at 60 degrees to the entry side. Because the ice crystals that form 22 degree halos are poorly aligned, sundogs typically appear brighter to the observer than an accompanying halo.

Photo taken with a Canon A70 digital camera, approximately 30 miles (50 km) north of Toronto, Canada on the morning of February 18, 2005. Always be careful when taking photos that include the bright solar disk, prolonged or repeated direct viewing of the sun can cause permanent eye damage.