MINNEAPOLIS — The weather this weekend has been cold enough to cancel events, keep people huddled in their homes, and all-around make living in the Bold North a little less comfortable.
But what's one of the benefits of these bitterly cold temps? Sundogs.
This weather phenomenon occurs when light refracts through ice crystals high up in the atmosphere. These crystals are shaped like hexagonal prisms and float down to the ground horizontally.
When sunlight enters the crystals, the light is bent, creating mini rainbows about 22 degrees on the left, right, or both sides of the sun.
Red light bends less, and blue light bends more, so when you see a sundog, you'll notice that the red part of the rainbow is closer to the sun, and the blue part is on the outer side.
Sundogs do occur during the warmer summer months, but they're much easier to spot in the winter, thanks to the colder temps.
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January sundogs
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