Sun Dogs & Eagles

 

Strange Light Phenomenon

Barbara and her Aunt Judy and I drove around Clallam County today. We had a true field day, taking Covid-housebound Judy out to sightsee the snow covered Olympic Mountains, and as much wildlife as we could locate. We drove along 'Schmuck Road', where elk were mere polka dots in the distance, as were the Trumpeter Swans  (white polka dots, not in photo below).

Elk, far off in AM

Much closer in the PM

Sequim is full of Bald Eagles. During the day they floated & soared all over, and later in the day, a couple of adult baldies sat right by the road, put on a lovely display of nonchalance. They calmly ignored the cars with noisy humans that took photos and pointed excitedly. 

Pose worthy of appearing on a coin

Around noon we drove past the Olympic Game Farm, and had to laugh because even the elk - and bison - that normally loiter near the road, were polka dots in the distance. Had to tease Judy that all the animals were going out of their way to avoid her. When we drove up on the ridge behind the Olympic Game Park the usual yaks that loiter up there were also no where to be seen. Decided it was time to ditch the critters and go to my house for lunch. 

Lunch and a chit-chat in my currently empty box strewn home

It was on the drive to take Judy home, past Schmuck Road, past the Holstein cow dairy and on up hill, that I spied the prism of bright light through some trees. I knew it was something unusual, and I sped up to a tree-free spot to park and get some photos.

The prism was already fading a bit

We knew we were not looking at a rainbow, but what was it? The name 'Sun Dog' came to me, and I was certain I had name wrong. I noticed the light wasn't too far from the sun which was low in the sky, and thank heavens I got a photo of the sun and the prism, because later in the day, the juxtaposition of the sun to the prism allowed me cinch the light's ID. It was a Sun Dog, or its more official name of Parhelion. Sun Dogs are light scattered by ice crystals in the sky. I guess I read about Sun Dogs sometime in my Ravenclaw past but didn't recall precisely what caused them. 

In the photo above, you can just about make out the ring (called a 'Parry Arc')that surrounds the sun, and connects to the Sun Dog at where the 3:00 would be on an analog clock. Below is a photo I lifted off the internet that shows a much better photograph of this phenomenon, with its accompanying pair of Sun Dogs at 9 and 3 o'clock. 

Sun Dogs, Parry Arcs and their ilk are more normally products of the far north where ice crystals are in the atmosphere. Now, it's chilly in Sequim, but today's temperatures were below 40 degrees. The temps were not below freezing range, but what we feel on the ground is not necessarily what's going on up in the atmosphere. Who knew a little Sun doggie would outshine the eagles today?