Sundogs in Tassie ??

[Sharnbrook]

A friend phoned me about an hour ago (2.30pm EDST) from Maria Island in Tassie's South east, where he is on holiday, and told me that he had seen a most impressive large light grey halo around the sun, with rainbow effects on the outside of the halo, and asked me if I knew what it was. My guess is that what he saw was a Sundog, and he told me he had taken some shots of it, but wouldn't know till he gets back to base this evening whether they are worthwhile.

Was anyone else in the vicinity this afternoon, who can verify what he saw? If the photos are any good, he will send them to me, and I shall post a copy tomorrow.

[jjjnettie]

I'd love to see the images Mike.

[mozzie]

mike on chrissy day i was in the yard with the father inlaw looking up and noticed a halo around it around 10deg and a perfect rainbow a little further some 12 deg and the time was around 10-10.30 am what causes that

[jjjnettie]

And while you are waiting for Mikes images, you can browse through some photos at the Cloud Appreciation Society.
Here's a link to some pics of Sun Dogs. (I have my sun dog pic here.;) )
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/gallery/index.php?x=browse&category=27&pagenum=1
And you can search for other optical effects here.
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/gallery/

[Rob_K]

Been a lot of ice halo action in SE Oz lately, with high-level hazy cloud. Have seen quite a few nice 22-degree halos, and here's links to some Sun Dogs (parhelia) from late this afternoon:

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/IMG_0838SunDogs27Dec09.jpg

http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww271/Rob_Kau/IMG_0828SunDog27Dec09.jpg

Mozzie, can't be exactly sure what you saw, but sounds a bit like a 22-deg halo and a circumzenithal arc above it ("perfect rainbow"). But maybe at 10-10:30 the Sun might have been a bit high for a CZ arc...:shrug: Anyway, have a trawl around this site (use menu at left), and all your questions should be answered:
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halosim.htm

Cheers -

[xstream]

Mike, I can verify that it was. Currently in Cygnet on the Huon river and had a great view of it.
Didn't have my camera with me at the time though. :sadeyes:

[Sharnbrook]

Thanks to you all for your comments and links.

I have received the photos taken by Philip, and have attached them after a little tweaking. There is no obvious sign of a sundog, but it was quite obviously a sun halo, and as John saw them in Cygnet, which is only about 100km in a direct line, it was more than likely the same phenomenon.

[spacezebra]

Excellent Mike - great shots!

Cheers Petra d.

[Sharnbrook]

As I mentioned previously, I didn't take the shots, a friend of mine on holiday in Tassie did that. He emailed me the other day to say that he was going to contact "National Geographic" and sell them to that august publication for a vast sum of money, thereby making him a "Sundog Millionaire" :lol::lol::lol:

A good play on words I thought.