I’m sharing some neat sky photos I took in the past few weeks.
Why? Because I wanted to post something to remind readers that the world still has beautiful and amazing things to observe. We can’t forget that. Secondly, if you have any insight on these sky phenomena, I’d love to hear more. I am fascinated by all interesting natural phenomena. It can be rewarding to observe and log events that other people won’t even pause to notice. They perfectly natural and fairly well understood. They aren’t omens or signs but products of physical laws that give us a temporary marvelous show.
Sun Dogs (Wikipedia) are iridescent patches to the left and right of the sun. This one was spotted in the passenger seat coming back on the PA Turnpike on Christmas Eve, 2025. Notice the rainbow patch on the right side of the photo. I likely would have been able to see a mirror image on the other side but it’s hidden by trees. However, you can just barely see the entire arc around the sun and slight color directly above it. Ignore the green dot, that’s a lens artifact. You can find these quite often.
Next is this great cloudscape taken on January 11, 2026 from Boyd Big Tree preserve north of Harrisburg, PA. I don’t know what these represent in the upper atmosphere but they were striking.
Finally, a vivid sunrise on January 14 was impressive enough.
Opposite this sunrise was a pink vertical glow rising in the west that I noticed just minutes later. This photo has enhanced contrast to more clearly show the effect.
Maybe most people would not have noticed this, but I found it fascinating and was lucky to grab an unobstructed view. It was slightly drizzling and the temp was around freezing at the time. At first, I thought it might be an anti-solar sun pillar. But a commentator on Mastodon suggested it may be a sunrise rainbow, which also seems highly plausible.
It really helps to look and find beauty and joy in nature. I hope you try it.
I saw those same clouds in the second photo! Very cool.
“Wave clouds” caused when air passes over a series of mountain ridges to the West.
Great pics.
Thanks Bob!!
A post about looking up is timely for me–I’m currently working on a piece about California condors, and how, despite them being declared extinct in Washington State in 1897, sightings continued throughout the 1900s. While the Yurok Tribe in California works with NPS to reestablish populations there, the Nimiipuu/Nez Perce Tribe is working to bring them back to Hells Canyon where Washington, Oregon, and Idaho meet. Hopefully soon we’ll be able to look up and see clouds AND condors!