Atmospheric Optics

Various Locations

A Fog Bow at high altitude on the flanks of Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii.	Twin sundogs in freezing temperatures - Iqaluit, Nunavut.

An early morning Sundog appears to the right of the sun.	Parhelia, sometimes known as Sundogs or Mock Suns are caused by sunlight passing through horizontal plate ice crystals in the atmosphere.

A 22 degree halo surrounds the sun. The lamp post is used to block out light from the center of the sun.	Looking East just after sunset on a clear day, you can sometimes see the shadow of the Earth as the sun passes below the horizon. It's light casts a shadow up into the atmosphere. The subtle pink hues are sometimes called the Belt Of Venus.

A 22 Degree halo around the sun showing a weak parhelia (Sundog) on the left side of the halo and a faint portion of an upper tangent arc at the top of the halo.	Coronas can be formed around the sun or as in this case, the Moon.

A 22 Degree halo around the sun intersected by an airplane contrail.	A 22 Degree halo around the sun. Never look directly at the sun, serious eye damage may occur.

A corona around the sun, caused by the diffraction of light by cloud droplets.	A perfect 22 Degree halo around the sun. The halo is caused by sunlight passing through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.

A seagull flies by as a 22 degree halo appears in cirostratus clouds.	A rare optical display in the atmosphere. The sun flanked by 2 sundogs, there is also a 22 degree halo surrounding the sun AND the upside-down rainbow in the sky high above the sun is a Circumzenithal Arc.

Moonlight passing through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere create a halo around the moon.	A very bright winter morning sundog or Parhelia in Toronto.

Solar halo in Nebraska.

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