For a man who has a lifetime outdoors during the winter, Shaun White’s shock at seeing this atmospheric optical phenomenon while out riding in British Columbia truly underlines its rarity.
Sun Dogs, also known as parhelia or mock suns, are colored spots of light that develop due to the refraction of light through ice crystals in high, cold cirrus clouds. They are located approximately 22 degrees either left, right, or both, from the sun, depending on where the ice crystals are present. The colors typically range from red closest to the sun, out to blue on the periphery of the sundog.
The term Sun Dog’s origin is unknown but some historians believe it relates to how these light spots seem to follow the Sun, like a dog following its master. Sun Dogs can occur in various parts of the world wherever cirrus clouds are present and can even occasionally appear from moonlight, in which case they are called Moon Dogs.