CIRRUS CLOUDS MAKE A MAGICAL SKY!

Written By: Scott Hetsko
Image: Joe Altieri

If you catch the sun at the right angle in the sky, you can see some pretty neat illusions! This picture was taken over the weekend somewhere in Western New York. Notice the colorful bright spot to the left of the sun. This is typically known as a "sundog" or a "mock" sun. Because cirrus clouds are made entirely of ice crystals, they do a great job bending visible light like a prism. Depending on the density of the cirrus clouds and angle of the sun, you can see a complete halo around to sun or what we observe here. Thanks Joe for sending in such a beautiful picture. For more knowledge about sundogs and other optical phenomina CLICK HERE