Photo of the Week 2015-02-16

dogs 'n halo

Sun Dogs are a phenomenon that occur when sunlight refracts off ice crystals in the atmosphere creating a pair of bright spots to either side of the sun. They are most conspicuous when the sun is close to the horizon (sunrise or sunset). Conditions must be just right in order to see the dogs and in the image above, one is faintly visible just left of centre frame.

On Sunday morning I had contemplated heading out to somewhere along the east side of the peninsula for some photography and if I was early enough, possibly a sunrise image. As it was, with temperature nudging -30*C without the windchill factored in, I decided it would be wiser to stick closer to the safety and warmth of "home". Since I was already bundled up after taking the dog for a short walk, I picked up a camera and headed down to the shoreline to be clear of the trees for an unobstructed view of the rising sun. As luck would have it, there was a sun dog, faint but perceptible along with a halo. I looked to find a foreground element, got down low, with the camera almost on the snow, to include the shape of the snowdrift and some branches in the frame and made the this week's image.

The conditions:
The weather forecast overnight predicted a temperature of -29*C with 40 km/h winds gusting to 60 km/h the windchill was -40*C. When Lynn and I returned to the cottage after dinner spaghetti dinner at the Tobermory Winter Carnival the night before, the wind was howling out of the north and blowing snow everywhere. Let me tell you, it was cold, bloody cold. I was thankful the wind had died down by morning. Still, the thermometer we have hanging on a section of privacy fence showed how accurate the weatherman was (for once). That's -29*C, just as forecast.

DJE