Alaska Sun Dog

sundog_sm.jpg
My dad snapped this beautiful photo of a sun dog in Alaska.

I took it last week on my way from Anchorage to Glennallen. It was about 20 below zero when I went over Eureka Summit just when the sun was rising over the mountains (about 11:00 a.m.). It was a cold trip. When I left Glennallen to return home the next day, it was 42 below. I guess global warming is taking a winter off.
P.S. If you want more details, I found this description on a web site:
“Sun dogs, also called mock suns, are colored, luminous spots caused by the refraction of light by six-sided ice crystals in the atmosphere. These bright spots form in the solar halo at points that are 22 degrees on either side of the sun and at the same elevation as the sun.”

Click the image for a larger view.

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