Circumzenithal arc, 46 degree halo, and sun dogs

Hi. So, yesterday afternoon I saw an unusual sundog in the sky. I have never seen one quite like this, so I wanted to get some perspective. I've seen rings, and even concentric rings around the sun before. But I've never seen one reversed in this way. There were two rings around the sun, and on the outside edge of the second ring, was another sundog, but reversed. Im sure there is better terminology for this phenomena but I am unfamiliar with it.

Anyway, here's what it looked like. The photos below show the brighter 'reversed' sundog in reference to the lighter sundog that was forming a circle around the sun. The bright one looked like a sort fo rainbow in the sky, much brighter than the two concentric rings around the sun.







Can anyone tell me about that?

i have no idea what caused that. well i have a few ideas. but its absolutely stunning. what state was this?

reply to post by bestof83


Let's just say it was over the N. Western part of the US region.

reply to post by incrediblelousminds


there's been a lot of increased activity that way. im thinking it may tie i'm with earthquake clouds. which have even been spotted in ks this last week. the reversal of it makes me really wonder about planet x or what ever pet name we want to use.

I have some good video of it I will post in the next 24 hours when I have the time. Very interesting, would love to hear from someone who has seen this before.

I know it all has to do with the way light gets reflected or refracted. I have seen a triple rainbow before. The colors were inverted from the first rainbow. I didn't observe the third rainbow for very long because it was almost over my head. Then it started raining hard. I believe the third rainbow was inverted from the second one if I remember correctly. It's been several years since I saw that.

Those are some pretty good pictures of sundogs. Sometimes or lots of times you don't see clear arcs but just a mess of colors in the clouds.

reply to post by orionthehunter


yeah, it was definitely a sort of refraction, as it occurred at the edge of the second concentric circle around the sun. But i've never seen it happen before, and would be very interested to learn more about the specific terminology and mathematics behind such an event.

I know nothing about this but...to me it looks like there are two light sources.

It probably isn't right, but I wonder why it would create two reversed/opposed sundogs if there was only one light source. I'll be looking at this thread until an answer is made

How interesting. I wish I had a good explanation for you. I was out right before sunset taking pictures of all the strange clouds out yesterday, since I have only recently read about "earthquake clouds." I'm in Corvallis, Oregon. I'd like to ask what time these were taken?

Looks like 2 different light sources ..

Oh..Sundog was a Great game .

reply to post by DriftingAway


Earthquake clouds? I'm doubtful. These were taken about 5-6pm West coast time.

UPDATE: okay, a little bit of e-search and I have come to understand this is called a "circumzenithal arc"

en.wikipedia.org...

www.atoptics.co.uk...

The circumzenithal arc or circumzenith arc (CZA), also called the Bravais' arc, is an optical phenomenon similar in appearance to a rainbow; but it arises from refraction of sunlight through horizontally-oriented ice crystals, generally in cirrus clouds, rather than from raindrops. It forms no more than one-quarter of a circle centered on the zenith and on the same side as the sun. Its colors are from blue on the inside to red on the outside of the arc. It is one of the brightest and most colorful halos. Its colors are purer than those of the rainbow because there is much less color overlap in its formation. The first impression is that of an upside-down rainbow. The circumzenithal arc has been called "a smile in the sky". It is rarely noticed because it occurs so far overhead, but in fact is relatively common.[citation needed] Cirrus clouds which cause a sun dog can cause a circumzenithal arc when they reach the zenith, if the Sun is low in the sky.

But, MAN it looked cool next to a sundog and a crescent moon. Three crescents in the sky, next to each other. Wish I had a camera worth a crap so I could have properly shown all three together.

I'll still try and post the video i made once i get around to uploading and making a youube account.

Hmmmm 2.5 hours later and I tried to edit the OP to alter the headline to reflect the proper name for the phenom and I am told I have exceeded the four hour time limit for edits. Hmmmm.

My timestamps show that I started taking pictures 6:30. Clouds over the entire sky were shaped in very thin parallel lines and then grouped together in rectangular boxes.

I'm rather neutral on the earthquake cloud subject. Maybe yes, maybe no. I told my husband that if nothing interesting happened after a week or so it would suggest it's just an old wive's tale.

Thank you for the links - rather educational to read about.

Amazing. I have never personally seen such a sight. Thanks for sharing this. Oh and don't let that double rainbow dude from you tube see this!

reply to post by incrediblelousminds


Besides the circumzenithal ark, you also have a much rarer 46° halo in your photographs. Good catch

reply to post by C.H.U.D.


Super cool. Thanks for the info and the link to that site which has all sorts of other great stuff.

I feel so lucky!

Never got around to uploading the video. I'm sure you're all seriously disappointed in me!

Originally posted by C.H.U.D.
reply to post by incrediblelousminds

 

Besides the circumzenithal ark, you also have a much rarer 46° halo in your photographs. Good catch

hey CHUD. So, i've noticed similar halo around the sun a lot lately. You say this is a 'rare' phenomenon. Am i seeing something different? Granted, it's on sunny days with a high haze. Nonetheless, i spend a lot of time outside and can't say i've seen a full rainbow around the sun as often as i have in the past month or so...

You're welcome incrediblelousminds.

A single (the inner 22°) halo is actually quite common. I see them usually at least once or twice a week. The 46° (outer) halo which shows up best on your second shot, is much rarer. I've not seen one yet, but then I've only been looking out for halos and arcs for a couple of years now. Sometimes halos and arcs are very short lived, so catching a good display like yours takes a bit of luck and/or more time spent looking up.

It sounds like you have a good feel for the type of conditions (hazy high altitude cloud) that produce halos, so look more frequently when you see those conditions and you'll see lots more.

Originally posted by C.H.U.D.
You're welcome incrediblelousminds.

A single (the inner 22°) halo is actually quite common. I see them usually at least once or twice a week. The 46° (outer) halo which shows up best on your second shot, is much rarer. I've not seen one yet, but then I've only been looking out for halos and arcs for a couple of years now. Sometimes halos and arcs are very short lived, so catching a good display like yours takes a bit of luck and/or more time spent looking up.

It sounds like you have a good feel for the type of conditions (hazy high altitude cloud) that produce halos, so look more frequently when you see those conditions and you'll see lots more.

awesome thanks again.

how do i differentiate between a 22 and a 46?

found this here: www.atoptics.co.uk...