Rare sundogs over Calama and Antofagasta, Chile

Strange Sounds
Thu, 18 Feb 2016 16:41 UTC

© Alerta Roja/Facebook

First sundogs appeared.

Rare sundogs accompanied by a reverse rainbow stunned residents of Calama and Antofagasta, Chile on February 17, 2016.

As if the parhelia was smiling at us from the sky.

© Alerta Roja/Facebook

Then a circumzenithal arc appeared over the parhelia.

So we have seen three different kinds of atmospheric phenomena in these pictures... Sundogs or parhelia which consists of a pair of bright spots on either side on the Sun. Circumzenithal arc which is an optical phenomenon similar in appearance to a reverse rainbow. And finally a circumhorizontal arc which in its full form appear like a large, brightly spectrum-coloured band running parallel to the horizon, located below the Sun or Moon.

All these sky phenomena are members of a large family of halos, created by light interacting with ice crystals or rain in the atmosphere.

© Alerta Roja/Facebook

First sundogs appeared.

© Facebook

On top as well as below the tripping star. Is that a circumhorizontal arc?

© Facebook

Here another more colorful picture of this circumhorizontal arc over Antofagasta.

© Facebook

© Facebook

And again some iridescent clouds. Or I believe them to be a circumhorizontal arc. What about you?