Optical wonder: Sun dog phenomenon dazzles Austria's slopes

A Brocken spectre in the mountains, "flying" ships over the Baltic Sea, and even "magical" hills in the Lublin region, where the laws of physics seem not to apply. These are just a few phenomena that can be described as amazing. The film from Austria presents another such illusion, which is at the very least intriguing. So, what exactly is a sun dog, and when can it be seen?

Millions of internet users have already seen the film from Austria – on platform X, the video is being shared by numerous profiles. Although it dates back to the end of January, it still enjoys significant attention online. It's no wonder – the phenomenon captured in the film can spark interest among viewers.

To explain, the sun dog recorded in Austria is, in fact, a halo phenomenon (occurring in the atmosphere and observed around the solar disc), which takes on a specific form. This is clearly visible in the film – the phenomenon has the shape of an elongated, bright spot visible below the Sun. The shimmering ice crystals in the sunlight add to the uniqueness of this phenomenon.

First and foremost, certain weather conditions must exist, i.e., the atmosphere must contain a large number of flat ice crystals. If they are oriented on a horizontal surface, sunlight reflects off them. This creates an elongated mirage – the sun dog – below the Sun.

The mentioned phenomenon is not that easy to observe. The best conditions occur when the observer is above the cloud layer (with the appropriate ice crystals). This means that a good place for this type of observation would be an aeroplane. However, it's not the only place to experience a sun dog. As shown by the example from Austria – the phenomenon can also be seen in high mountains.