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Ice Crystals > Halos > Parhelia > Parhelia

Parhelia

Parhelia  (parhelion = 'sundog', 'mock sun', paraselene = 'moondog', 'mock moon') are among the most common halos and can be extremely colourful and bright. They normally occur in pairs and are red on the inside (towards the Sun) and blue on the outside. They can show the full colour spectrum with a tail of white light lying on the parhelic circle. Size and shape depend on solar elevation. 22° parhelia are standing a little outside the 22° halo if the Sun is high. They are brightest when the sun is low.

Sometimes one parhelion seems lower than the other. The reason for this is unknown. There are optical illusions making the whole halo display seem tilted.

22° parhelia are formed by refraction in plate-shaped ice crystals. There are other, much rarer kinds of parhelia (for example 120° parhelia, 23° parhelia). Not all are formed by plate crystals.

22° parhelia at Trier on August 11th, 2004 before sunset. Fuji Finepix S2 Pro, polarizing filter, processed with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Left parhelion on August 11th, 2004. Fuji Finepix S2 Pro, polarizing filter, processed with Adobe Photoshop Elements.