Sun dogs. Parhelia. Sundogs are bright spots of white or orange, red and white found 22' from the sun. They will 
appear within a thin cirrostratus cloud covering containing ice crystals. They are part of the 22' halo that 
encompasses the sun, but it does not need to be present to form the dogs. When conditions are good, the dogs will grow 
tails that will encompass the sky above the horizon, forming a circle from sundog to sundog.
 
  A pair of glasses with polarized lenses is required, not only to protect the eyes, but most of these sky phenomenon 
can't be detected without them!

  The storm of January 22nd, 2005 dumped 12" of snow here in Memphis, Michigan. This morning (1/23/2005) found two dogs 
waiting for me to come out and play. The temperature had to be below zero with a slight wind.

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  It has been a while since i've seen a good set of sundogs. On the morning of Dec. 19th, 2004, we awoke to sub-zero 
temps! The night before, we had approx. 2"-3" of snow and strong winds. There was snow flying around, making the 
conditions just right for sundogs. There was also a faint circumzenithal arc, but not worth shooting.

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  A surprise appearence of a good sundog, or parhelia, with a long tail!

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  I spotted this 'rainbow' colored sundog and grabbed my camera and shot. Most of these phenomenon disappear as fast 
as they appear! I have never viewed a dog this color. It's interesting, the fact that once you become aware of these 
sky events, you find yourself always looking upward.

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  This is a collection of sundogs which I have viewed over the years...

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