About

And suddenly
 A memory of birds 
That sank into the unknown 
Yannis Ritsos1

“Sundogs North of Swift Current”, C. Milne

Sundogs are concentrated patches of light occasionally seen adjacent to the sun. They form when sunlight refracts through icy clouds (cirrus or cirrostratus) containing crystals in the atmosphere. Technically known as parhelia, they are often white but sometimes quite colorful, looking like detached pieces of rainbow. 3

They occur worldwide and during all seasons, but mostly in the winter. Given the conditions that cause them, they are usually a predictor of changing weather.