Sky phenomenon

This is not my first attempt to capture a sun dog though I think this is one of my better ones. Saturday's blizzard died down at just the right time and it made for and incredible sunset. The wind was quite strong during the capture of this image.

Light Pillars in Russia (image source unknown). A light pillar is an atmospheric phenomenon in which a vertical beam of light appears to extend above and/or below a light source. The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere. #colourcuriosity #lightphenomenon

What is this mysterious spiraling glowing object observed over thousands of kilometers in the Russian sky? That really an unusual sky phenomenon!

I could tell you how these halos form. Like how the hexagonal ice crystals that are necessary for their formation lightly drift through the air on a sub-zero morning. How they make the air sparkle with a million tiny suns. How the sunlight bounces around inside them at a 22º angle forming the halo, an upper tangent arc, parhelia, a parhelic circle, and a sun pillar. Or I could just say that on this morning, several years ago in Big Sky, Montana, the sky was not just singing, it was also…

Extremely rare cloud phenomenon known as Fire Rainbows, spotted over Alaska.

Sundog

<b>The Messengers</b>: Taken on May 26th, 2013, this was a dissipating low precipitation thunderstorm near Broken Bow, Nebraska, that produced one of the best lightning shows I have ever witnessed in my storm chasing career. Even more beautiful was when the lightning lit up these incredible mammatus clouds in the night sky. These type of clouds are often associated with severe thunderstorms, and their ominous and foreboding appearance is a message to all that severe weather may be on its…

Using just an iPhone 11, Michael Schneider snapped a stunning image the moment the moment ice crystals froze midair, creating a perfect 'halo' around the sun while skiing in the Swiss Alps.

This is a white, horizontal circle at the same angular elevation as the Sun. Bright spots may be observed at certain points of the parhelic circle. These spots occur most commonly a little outside the 22° halo (parhelia, often brilliantly coloured). Occasionally, bright spots (paranthelia) are seen ...

Rare optical phenomena known as high altitude solar halos. ~Photo by Steve Gettle