Sundogs, these rainbow colored splashes of light on either side of the sun, are seen around the world on a daily basis.
Ice crystals in the air around Antarctica are “diamond dust.” And when they catch the rays of the low-hanging sun, the results can be spectacular like in the following pictures:
![sundogs antarctica, sundogs antarctica pictures, picture sundog antarctica, sundog, sundogs](https://strangesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sundogs-andtarctica.jpg)
Sundogs are caused by ice crystals in high cirrus clouds.
![sundogs antarctica, sundogs antarctica pictures, picture sundog antarctica, sundog, sundogs](https://strangesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sundogs-antarctica-1.jpg)
Ice crystals in the air around Antarctica, however, are special. They are “diamond dust.” These tiny, jewel-like crystals of ice form on cold days in the air near ground level.
![sundogs antarctica, sundogs antarctica pictures, picture sundog antarctica, sundog, sundogs](https://strangesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sundogs-antarctica-3.jpg)
When they catch the rays of the low-hanging sun, the results can be spectacular, with sundogs that glitter intensely as the dust drifts by. Look at this effect in action:
![sundogs antarctica, sundogs antarctica pictures, picture sundog antarctica, sundog, sundogs](https://strangesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/sundogs-antarctica-2.jpg)
Each speck and circle of light in this image is sunlight glistening through an individual crystal of diamond dust.
What are they doing in the Antarctica sky?