Sundogs, also known as a “mock sun” or “phantom sun”… they can occur at all times of the year, but are most often seen during the winter time.  However, seeing them at all–that is a rarity.

Guthrie County Conservation Board Natural Resource Manager Brad Halterman says he’s seen more than normal recently in the local area, and he encourages residents to keep an eye out in the weeks ahead for one of nature’s beautiful but rare sights.

Now at this point you may be wondering… what is a sundog?  Halterman explains.

“When you spray water out of hose, you can with certain light at a certain angle you can see that little rainbow appearance.  Well (a sundog) is basically the same thing–the light refracts through ice crystals to reflect the white light that comes through, and the sundogs appear on one side and sometimes both sides (of the sun), and on certain occasions it can actually form a whole ring around the sun.” 

Halterman says sundogs always stay at the same elevation as the sun, and they are most visible when the sun drops in the sky.

“(The sundogs) really become visible when the sun is at lower elevations–when it is starting to set on the horizon, and that’s just because the sun catches up to those low-hanging ice crystals in the air and it becomes a better angle to be visible.”

Over the past few weeks, Halterman says he’s seen sundogs appear on an almost every other day basis in Guthrie County.  Anyone with questions about what they should be looking for in a sundog can contact the Conservation Board at 641-755-3061.