S is for Sun Dogs

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sun dogs, or parhelions, come from ice crystal clouds reflecting or refracting light from the sun. They can be seen in Alaska in the winter when the sun is continually low in the sky.

The ice crystal clouds form a halo around the sun that interacts with the sunlight. If the light refracts through the sunlight, the sun dog shows a spectrum of colors, with red being the most common. If the light reflects, the sun dog will be white.

Sun dogs got their name because their fuzzy rainbows and lights appear to be "dogging" the sun.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Even though this photo isn't of a sun dog in Alaska, I loved the shot so much I had to include it. A sun dog at the North Pole:

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever seen a sun dog?

My A-Z theme of Alaska is inspired by my debut novel, Polar Night, which is set in Fairbanks and the Alaskan Arctic. Click here for all the info on the book.