Three Suns in the Sky: The Mystery of Parhelia
| Polish version is here |
Since the dawn of consciousness, humans have gazed at the sky in fascination. Naturally, many celestial phenomena were at first shrouded in mystery. The awe that ancient cultures felt toward the night sky is evident in the way they projected their mythological figures onto it. In Western culture, Greek mythology still dominates this celestial stage: the giant Orion battles Taurus; the Ethiopian princess Andromeda is rescued by Perseus from the sea monster Cetus, associated with Cetus, the Whale; and Cygnus, the Swan, represents Zeus in one of his divine transformations. The seven nymphs known as the Pleiades and the Hyades also shine brightly in the night sky. Comets, meanwhile, were often regarded as omens of misfortune. Yet our ancestors also watched the daytime sky with wonder.
Among the many fascinating atmospheric phenomena visible during the day, one of the most captivating is parhelia, also known as sundogs or mock suns. This optical phenomenon creates the illusion of multiple suns shining in the sky.
Observations
February 19, 2018, around 11:00 AM – Jaworzno (Poland), garden
urban environment
On this winter day, I stepped outside for a short break from my work. By chance, I witnessed a remarkable sight: to the right of the Sun, a smaller and much fainter “second sun” appeared. Before the phenomenon faded, I managed to capture a photograph.
This was a parhelion, also known as a sundog. The phenomenon occurs when sunlight is refracted by hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere, which are typically oriented horizontally as they fall. Parhelia belong to a broader family of atmospheric halo phenomena and usually appear symmetrically on both sides of the Sun. On this occasion, however, only one was distinctly visible. Near the sundog, a faint section of the parhelic circle, a halo that can sometimes extend across the entire sky, could also be seen.
August 8, 2018, around 7:00 AM – Goczałkowice-Zdrój (Poland)
aboard a train from Katowice to Wisła
This morning brought an unexpected surprise. Looking out the train window, I noticed a well-defined sundog. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, photographing through the window of a moving train with a phone camera, the image still captures the sundog’s subtle coloration, produced by the dispersion of sunlight into its component colors. This effect is not always visible.
October 7, 2020, around 1:00 PM – Zabrze (Poland)
urban environment
Even in the middle of everyday activities, it is worth taking a moment to look up at the sky, as you might witness something extraordinary. While walking between university buildings, I was fortunate enough to see the remarkable sight of three suns.
February 21, 2020, around 3:00 PM – Jaworzno (Poland)
urban environment
A winter walk became even more enjoyable than usual when I noticed beautifully defined and vividly colored sundogs on both sides of our daytime star.
Sundogs are a stunning and captivating sight that has naturally drawn human attention for centuries.
In the past, this phenomenon was often interpreted as a supernatural omen with various meanings. A notable example appears in a woodcut originally published in the incunabulum Liber cronicarum cum figuris ymaginibus ab inicio mundi, commonly known as the Nuremberg Chronicle, first printed in 1493 (Figure 1). The illustration most likely depicts the same phenomenon that anyone can witness with the naked eye today.
Marek Ples