Atmospheric optics
Videos
Atmospheric optics is "the study of the optical characteristics of the atmosphere or products of atmospheric processes.... temporal and spatial resolutions beyond those discernible with the naked eye"
A colorful sky is often due to indirect sunlight being scattered off air molecules and particulates, like smog, soot, and cloud droplets, as shown in this photo of a sunset during the October 2007 California wildfires.
When seen from a high altitude, as here from an airplane, the sky's color varies from pale to dark at elevations toward the zenith.
Purple sky on the La Silla Observatory.
An occurrence of altocumulus and cirrocumulus cloud iridescence
Sun dog
Videos
A sun dog, sundog or mock sun, also called a parhelion in atmospheric science, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun. Two sun dogs often f
Very bright sun dogs in Fargo, North Dakota. Also visible are parts of the 22° halo (the arcs passing through each sun dog), a sun pillar (the vertical line), and the parhelic circle (the horizontal line).
Two sun dogs, and a partial 22° halo in Sun City West, Arizona
A right-hand sun dog in Salem, Massachusetts. Also visible are a Parry arc, an upper tangent arc, a 22° halo, and part of the parhelic circle.
Sun dogs in Hesse, Germany