Can a Sun Dog Appear Without Clouds?

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In summary, the conversation discusses a sighting of sun dogs, a phenomenon that occurs when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals in the atmosphere. The location of the ice crystals and clouds are important for observing sun dogs, as seen in the Wikipedia article provided. The conversation also mentions a strange light observed during a foggy day, which adds to the mysterious nature of sun dogs.
  • #1
Jimmy Snyder
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I don't know what forum this belongs in. Move it at will. I have already posted this on the APOD discussion site.

Today on the way home from work, I saw a pair of sun dogs. At first I could only see the left one which was in a location where there were some wispy clouds. On the right, I could not see anything except a brightness that was more wishful thinking than sun dog. However, there were no clouds where that sun dog would be. Within 5 minutes, some wispy clouds appeared there and so did the sun dog. I assume therefore that you can't see the sun dog without the background cloud. Is this correct?
 
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  • #3
cristo said:
The wikipedia article seems to suggest you are correct:
I had assumed that because sun dogs are symmetrically arrayed that the ice crystals were between me and the sun. Now that I think about it, that is not necessarily so. And according to the site, it is not so. That's why there must be a cloud for you to see the sun dog.
 
  • #5
neutrino said:
If it helps...
It does. Thanks. It confirms that the location of the ice crystals is at the sun dog and not between the viewer and the sun as I had supposed.
 
  • #6
wow..I saw something last night as well, driving home from work at about 6:10 pm. I was just south of Pearson airport headed west on the 401 in stop and go traffic. The sunset was beautiful. Just above and a little to the west of the sun was a verry bright light. I was looking at this for 10 minuits or so. I should have took a picture as i had a camera with me. Now the weather here was very strange yesterday. 10 or 12 degrees above normal. Very clear humid day, however there were fog patches all over the city all day yesterday. As I got west of Pearson I drove into a fog bank and for several seconds I could see this light shining thru the fog, even though the setting sun was blocked. I was going to post this last night but home life overtook me. Oh yea I did come out of the fog into the clear 10 miniuts later and the sun was down and the light was gone...spookey!
 

1. Can a Sun Dog Appear Without Clouds?

Yes, a sun dog can appear without clouds. Sun dogs, also known as parhelia, are caused by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals in the atmosphere. These ice crystals can be present even when there are no visible clouds in the sky, resulting in the appearance of a sun dog.

2. What causes a Sun Dog?

A sun dog is caused by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals in the atmosphere. These ice crystals are typically found in high altitude cirrus clouds, but can also be present in the atmosphere without visible clouds.

3. Are Sun Dogs rare?

Sun dogs are not necessarily rare, but they are not commonly seen due to their specific atmospheric conditions. They are more likely to occur in colder climates and during certain times of the year when there is more moisture in the air.

4. Can a Sun Dog be seen from any location?

Yes, a sun dog can be seen from any location where the atmospheric conditions are right. However, they are more commonly seen in polar regions and at high altitudes.

5. Can a Sun Dog be harmful to the eyes?

No, a sun dog is not harmful to the eyes. It is simply a visual phenomenon caused by the refraction of light through ice crystals in the atmosphere. However, it is always important to protect your eyes from direct sunlight, as staring at the sun can cause damage to your eyes.

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