Ice Halo's

Polie's often witness a meteorological phenomenon that appears to be rainbows in a clear sky. They refer to them, sometimes incorrectly, as sundog's. The word they are looking for is 'Ice Halo'. Sundog's are the most common form of the Ice Halo's that we witness in the Antarctica Summer sky.

A sundog is often celebrated at the South Pole Station, as it is something to look at that is not flat and white . . .

According to wiki,

A halo (ἅλως; also known as a nimbus, icebow or Gloriole) is an optical phenomenon produced by ice crystals creating colored or white arcs and spots in the sky. Many are near the sun or moon but others are elsewhere and even in the opposite part of the sky. They can also form around artificial lights in very cold weather when ice crystals called diamond dust are floating in the nearby air.

There are many types of ice halos. They are produced by the ice crystals in cirrus clouds high (5–10 km, or 3–6 miles) in the upper troposphere. The particular shape and orientation of the crystals is responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split up into colors because of dispersion. The crystals behave like jewels, refracting and reflecting sunlight between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.

Often times, at the South Pole, the precipitation in the cold air will form ice crystals. The light reflects and refracts off the ice crystals suspended in the air. This produces ice halo's. Different types of crystals in the atmosphere will produce up to 22 'types' of halo's in the sky, creating a magnificent show!

Photographing Sundogs is bit of a trick, because you have to aim your lense directly into the sun. The majority of these photos are borrowed from South Pole photographers