© Dan Gore
Sunvex Parry arc taken on April 23, 2021 @ Viera, Florida, USA
You don't see this every day, especially not in Florida. On April 23rd, a pair of glowing V's appeared above the setting sun, both caused by ice crystals in the air. Dan Gore photographed them from Viera, FL.
"They lingered for about 5 minutes, then they were gone," says Gore. "It was a beautiful sight."
These are sun halos, one rare and one common. The lower 'V' is a common
upper tangent arc created by sunlight shining through
pencil-shaped ice crystals. The upper 'V' is a rare
Parry arc created by similar kinds of ice crystals, but... To make the Parry arc, the crystals had to be horizontal, not rotate, and have two faces horizontal, too. It sounds improbable, and it is. That's why the Parry arc is so rare.
What's all this ice doing in Florida air? The crystals were located in cirrus clouds 5 to 10 km above the ground where the air is always freezing--even in Florida.
Parry arcs prefer cold climates, but they can appear in the Sunshine State, too.
Comment: It is likely that atmospheric dust loading from increased comet and volcanic activity is contributing to the 'strange skies' we are witnessing, the cooling effect of which causes ice crystals to form. See also: