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Lights surrounding the sun called a 'Sun Dog'

Viewers around Puget Sound were treated to a Sun Dog Friday night.
Tacoma. Photo:  Sabrina Whitehead Maricle.

Ever see bright lights "following" the sun? They could be "sun dogs."

A sun dog occurs when a bright spot appears to the left or right of the sun. They often occur in pairs, with one on each side of the sun, and is sometimes accompanied with a halo around the sun. It is caused by sunlight refracting and bending as it passes through cirrus, or ice crystal clouds. It acts like a prism to create the halo effect.

Sun dogs appear when the sun is low on the horizon, and it was seen all over Western Washington from Anderson Island to Seattle.

PHOTOS: Lights around the sun called ‘Sun Dogs’

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