Posted on 07/21/2005 12:38:04 PM PDT by PaulaB
-- A weird-looking cloud sporting the colors of the rainbow appeared to many in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex early Thursday afternoon.The cloud stayed in the southeastern sky for several minutes, but was obscured by other clouds at times.
NBC 5 Meteorolgist James Aydelott offered one possible explanation, saying that the sun was hitting the cloud at just the right angle, similar to a phenomenon known as "sun dogs," causing the colorful display. He also said he had never seen a cloud like this before.
No, that would look like this. My cat Lucy:
I saw a similar "cloud formation" around the CO / NM border back in May !!
I had witnesses !!
The lovers, the dreamers, and me
Wow! That looks cool! I've seen sun dogs before, but nothing like that. I'd guess it is refracted light off of ice crystals...
I believe you are correct on both counts.
I do not think the phenomenon in the photograph is a sun dog. Sun dogs appear 22 degrees right and/or left of the sun on a line parallel to the horizon and that passes through the sun, i.e., the sun and associated sun dogs share the same altitude above the horizon. In the subject photo, judging by the shadows in the clouds, the sun appears to me to be off the photo to the upper right, not at the same apparent altitude as the colorful phenomemon.
Hand me my tin-foil hat please.
We have sundogs here in UT all the time. Very common.
It was me sticking my head out of Lovey's airplane!
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