Sun Pillar

19 December 2012
9:30 PM

Sunrise at	10:57 AM	in direction	155°	South-southeast
Sunset at	2:39 PM	in direction	205°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 3 hours, 41 minutes (41 seconds shorter than yesterday)

A lovely phenomenon of the North is the appearance of a Sun Dog or in scientific terms, a parhelion.  Often times, we do not see the full rings on either side of the sun.  Today the sun streak and suggestion of a fluted parry or circumzenith arc were visible.  I first noticed them in the south facing weather cam atop the Geophysical Institute building.  Then I stood up from my desk to take a look and there it was.

Sun Pillar - 1:59 PM: 40 minutes before sunset

The link, Polar Phenomena, describes various sights at polar regions, and includes a particularly wonderful example of a parhelion with all aspects that could be visible, sundog, sun streak, tangent arc and parry  or circumzenith arc at the top of the halo.  Clicking on the photo itself reveals it was taken near a research station in Antarctica.

Here in the Interior, the sun was skimming the horizon just behind the low lying clouds, exposing the sun pillar clearly.   The top arc softens into the clouds, but the convex nature of the arc is clear as it curves upward.  Two days before solstice and still the sun light entertains and enlivens our brief days with beauty.