Sun dog WA
© Via Twitter @StrictlyChristo
A skier who was in the right place at the right time was able to photograph an astonishing weather phenomenon known as a sun dog.

When conditions are ideal, the rare sight is known as a mock sun and appears at 22 degrees in the sky.

The man, who goes by the handle Strictly Christo, posted the video to Twitter on Sunday but didn't say where it was shot.

"A solar parhelion," he captioned the video. It belongs to the family of halos formed by ice crystals in the atmosphere refracting sunlight.

"Cirrus or cirrostratus clouds have the required ice crystals. The appearance of the parhelion is determined by the presence and placement of these clouds. A 'sun dog' is a term used to describe this phenomena.


The short video shows skiers and snowboarders being treated to a spectacular show atop a mountain, with footage revealing what appears to be three unique suns, while a halo forms around the primary star.

A solar parhelion is when the sun is at its farthest point from the Earth It belongs to the family of halos formed by ice crystals in the atmosphere refracting sunlight.

Strictly Christo, who says he's from Santa Cruz, California, was inundated with praise, even from avid weather fans who have seen the sight before.

"I took a photo of a sun dog! It was nothing like this! Wow spectacular!" Cyndilenz raved.

Paul DeThroe thought: "That is the ultimate Sun dog. I'm happy just to see a regular one. Amazing!"

Actual admitted: "I've seen many very faint sundogs, but this is spectacular!"

A sun dog is caused by the refraction of light through ice crystals, and can appear on the right or left side of the sun, or both.

Britannica went into further detail, explaining: "Sun dog, also called mock sun or parhelion, atmospheric optical phenomenon appearing in the sky as luminous spots 22 degrees on each side of the sun and at the same elevation as the sun.

"Sun dogs occur when the sun or moon shines through a thin cirrus cloud composed of hexagonal ice crystals falling with their principal axes vertical, as opposed to the. This is a brief summary.