Moondog 8/3/06

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Just emptied the camera and found that I'd snapped a moondog and forgotton about it. Here it is:-

Captain Chaos

[daz]

Moon (and sun) dogs are refracted light, quite simply.

If I remember correctly, the moon ones are caused by 6 sided ice crystals in the atmosphere. There are usually two, one at 22 degrees and one at 44, although the outer one may be feint.

Of course, I could be wrong.............

Someone somewhere posted a link showing a whole page of superb images and a better explanation than mine. Can't remember who, though

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Czech this out, some answers here:-

http://www.elbertwade.com/page74.html

HTH, though it says that what my pic is aint a moondog.

Captain Chaos

[OXO]

Nice one CC Moondogs look cool 8)

[Astroman]

Daz is right-moondogs are caused by ice crystals and appear on either side of the Moon, as do sundogs. The website CC quotes appears to be in error, or at least has moondogs and moondows reversed. CC's pic looks like a moonbow to me.

[The Warthog]

I've always called that a halo, but that may be wrong, too. I have seen a sun halo once, and once saw a sundog when I was driving to work one morning years ago. The apparition that Ezekiel saw in the sky, and the one that Constantine saw along with the letters IHS, were supposed to be a sundog with all the trimmings - haloes, and bright spots at 90 degree intervals around. Must have been spectacular.

[Jamie]

It looks more like a lunar halo to me.

My interpretation of a moon dog is an of axis pillar of reflected light.

[FLO]

This should help:

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/