sun-dog

A bright sun-dog appears beside the sun in the cold winter sky.

Definition

sun-dog (noun): A bright spot or halo appearing on one or both sides of the sun, often associated with the phenomenon of a parhelion. It is caused by the refraction of sunlight through ice crystals in the atmosphere, typically in cold or high-altitude conditions.

Usage Examples

• (A bright atmospheric halo visible near the sun.)
• (The phenomenon requires ice crystals in the air.)

Advanced Usage

• "sun-dog" as a meteorological term: In scientific contexts, "sun-dog" is synonymous with "parhelion" and is used to describe a specific type of atmospheric optical phenomenon.
  • The sun-dog was clearly visible due to the thin cirrus clouds. (The halo was produced by ice crystals in high-altitude clouds.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sun-dogs (plural): multiple instances of the phenomenon.
  • The sky was filled with sun-dogs after the storm. (Several bright spots appeared around the sun.)
• Parhelion (noun): the technical term for a sun-dog.
  • A parhelion is often mistaken for a sundog. (Both terms refer to the same phenomenon.)

Synonyms

• Parhelion: the formal scientific name for a sun-dog.
• Mock sun: an older or less technical term for a sun-dog.

Related Idioms

• "Sun-dog" is not commonly used in idioms, but it may appear in poetic or descriptive language:
  • The sailors saw a sun-dog as an omen of changing weather. (A traditional belief linking the phenomenon to weather patterns.)