
Sundog and Saguaro

by Judy Kennedy
Title
Sundog and Saguaro
Artist
Judy Kennedy
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
I’m a big fan and follower of all things related to the sky, including atmospheric optics like rainbows and sundogs. Sundogs, like rainbows, are parhelia (scientific term) and a member of the halo family. But unlike traditional rainbows, these don’t reach the ground. On the contrary, they are small bright mini-rainbows on either side of the sun when it sits about 22 degrees above the horizon which is usually right after sunrise or just before sunset. Hexagonal ice crystals in the clouds act like prisms, bending the light, thus creating the sundogs. They are actually a part of a halo that goes all the way around the sun, but may just appear as a small bright patch of color like this one. In fact, I have yet to see two at the same time - probably because the hill depicted here obscures my line of view. Anyway, I caught this sundog very close to what I call my “Y cactus” which is really a giant saguaro cactus that looks like a “Y" on the hill by my home where I take most of my sunset photos. For the record, this sundog was spotted on March 23, 2019 in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona about 50 miles south of Phoenix. Oh - btw - they're called "sundogs" because they follow the sun around like some dogs follow on the heels of their masters!
Uploaded
October 1st, 2019
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