Utah Skies
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Solar Phenomena

2003-02-07 -- Sun Dogs

This beautiful picture was captured at sunrise on a cold and still Park City morning.  Called sundogs, this phenomenon is caused by sunlight being refracted through ice crystals.

Taken by Don Brown with an Olympus OM1 and a 28mm lens, this image shows two parhelia on each side of the sun and one just visible at the top of the image.  The ice crystals must be preferentially oriented horizontally and the sun-observer line of sight must be close to horizontal in order to see such a site.

Sundogs are also know as mock suns, and are similar to halos (refraction through randomy oriented crystals) and sun pillars (reflection off of horizontally oriented crystals).

2003-02-06 -- Sun Pillar

A sun pillar as imaged by Anthony ArrigoSun pillars are the result of sunlight reflecting off of ice crystals in the air.  The picture on the right was taken by Anthony Arrigo using a Canon Rebel 2000 with a 28mm lens.

Along with other atmospheric optical phenomenon, pillars can be caused by the Moon and Venus, too! Terrestrial sources can create pillars, as well.

Park City sun pillar, as imaged by Don Brown Anthony kindly called Don Brown on this cold morning, who then captured this image with an Olympus OM1 and 28mm lens.

1999-01-28 -- Sun Pillar and "Diamond Dust"

...a morning sun pillar...This beautiful sun pillar was captured by Don Brown with an Olympus OM-1 at 75mm, 1/1000 sec,  f/16. Notice the sun reflecting off of the foreground ice crystals, also known as "diamond dust".  We called it "Pixie Dust" that morning...

 

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