Uploaded November 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Sun dog is the nickname for a bright spot of color seen on either side of the sun in cirrus clouds. It follows the sun the way a dog follows a person. It is also called a mock sun because it imitates the sun and sometimes seems just as bright. The technical name is parhelion if there's one, or parhelia if there are two. It's a distant cousin of a rainbow. To get a sun dog, you need to have cirrus clouds, which are very high, and very cold, and made of ice crystals. The ice crystals separate the light into seven colors. That's called refraction.
Sun dogs are pretty and interesting and common. They simply tell you the clouds are high, thin and cold enough to be made of ice crystals.
Meteorologist Alan Sealls
Facebook: Alan Sealls Weather
Twitter: @AlanSealls
Web: alansealls.com
More educational weather videos for k-12 and even college level by subscription here weatherthings.com/TeacherVideos
Sun dog is the nickname for a bright spot of color seen on either side of the sun in cirrus clouds. It follows the sun the way a dog follows a person. It is also called a mock sun because it imitates the sun and sometimes seems just as bright. The technical name is parhelion if there's one, or parhelia if there are two. It's a distant cousin of a rainbow. To get a sun dog, you need to have cirrus clouds, which are very high, and very cold, and made of ice crystals. The ice crystals separate the light into seven colors. That's called refraction.
Sun dogs are pretty and interesting and common. They simply tell you the clouds are high, thin and cold enough to be made of ice crystals.
Meteorologist Alan Sealls
Facebook: Alan Sealls Weather
Twitter: @AlanSealls
Web: alansealls.com
More educational weather videos for k-12 and even college level by subscription here weatherthings.com/TeacherVideos
