Sun Dogs, Angels in the Sunlight [17 Jan 2026]

 William Blake once said that he saw angels when he looked into the sun.

"When the sun rises, do you not see a round disc of fire somewhat like a guinea? O no, no, I see an innumerable company of the heavenly host crying Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty."

What do you see?

[ATTN: Please Do Not Look Directly Into The Sun, Thank You]

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 It was evening, and bitterly cold outside. A thick layer of freezing fog cuddled close to the earth in a hazy calm. Despite the mist, the sunshine shone brightly through my window; 

i was expecting an average sunset as i opened the curtain. here's what i saw instead when i peered out...

This is the initial view I got from my window. unfortunately there are trees and a building in the way, but you can clearly see the sun in the center, flanked by two splotches of light on either side. 

I wanted to get a better angle, but it was far too cold to go outside (wind chill of -23°F). Then I remembered...the south stairwell has windows. So i ran out in hopes of getting a shot of the entire thing at once, with both spots of light in frame. If i tilted the camera juuust right, i could just barely get the  right before the window sill got in the way.

So what is this thing, and what's causing it? Well, it's called a Sun Dog, (also known as a parahelion, a mock sun, or a phantom sun) and it's an atmospheric optical illusion caused by the refraction of sunlight through the prism-shaped ice crystals in the air.

 It's very similar to how rainbows work, where the moisture in the air bends the light (known as refraction) and creates these extravagant displays. The difference here is that with sun dogs, you need both the sun and the moisture in front of you; however, with rainbows you need the sun behind you and rain in front of you.

Fun fact: it's physically impossible to see a full rainbow and the sun in the sky at the same time! 

The sun dogs are always 22° to the left and right of the sun, and always on the same horizontal plane. Here you can see a line of light going from the sun to each side.

If conditions were ideal, you would be able to see an entire halo of light, all around the sun.

 if you look closely at each sun dog, you can see a subtle blend of colors. red is always on the inside, closest to the sun; blue is always on the outer edge, furthest from the sun.

Can you imagine what people in antiquity must have thought of these? If you didn't know what it was, before we knew how weather worked, perhaps you'd see a host of angels too.

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Just for fun, here are a couple i used a filter on to bring out the light better.

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Some collage book covers:

Soul Catcher by Frank Herbert

The Sea Around Us by Rachel L. Carson

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Lastly, a collage & octosyllabic double quatrain:

The cosmic jellyfish ascends,
God casts his heavenly fire.
Surely this must be the end,
Help us, you tentacled flier!

God greets the grand cnidarian,
And waves goodbye to those he damned,
But now he recalls one small thing:
He gave those beasts a mighty sting!
-JFM

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Hope you enjoyed!

Peace & Love