Amber on Ice

"Sun dogs appear as bright spots in the sky to either side of the sun. They are created by light refracting in airborne ice crystals that have formed from water vapor. The ice crystals are all pretty much the same shape. If they are falling horizontally, like a leaf or a piece of paper, the sun enters the edge of the crystal, refracts around inside like a prism and bounces out at a different angle. Because the crystals are the same shape, light that enters the crystals from the sun exits each crystal in the same way. This causes sun dogs to always appear at the same angle -- 22 degrees to the sun. These effects can happen at night as well around the moon." (17 Dec 06 Antarctic Sun)

Sun dogs are most prevelant here at the South Pole. Thy sky at the SP is just so clean/clear/crisp -- it really does look different. I would often see Sun dogs on my runs back from Willie Field when the sun was sitting atop the Castle Rock Ridge and Mt. Erebus -- giant circles around the sun. Amazing!