Sun Dog

I snapped this Sun Dog late this afternoon.  Unfortunately it was even brighter a few minutes before but I didn’t have my camera with me.

Sun Dog’s are formed by the refraction of the Sun’s rays by ice crystals in cirrus clouds.  Usually 22 degrees (or more) from the Sun, Sun Dogs are usually seen when the Sun is low in the sky.  Conditions were just right this afternoon with clouds (including cirrus) were streaming toward the eminent sunset.  With the naked eye, it just looked like a small part of a rainbow.  Sun Dogs are more rare for Tucson than colder spots, but obviously we have them!