Subsun

Subsuns are often seen below the sun during flight. It is created by light reflected on the horizontal surface of ice crystals in the clouds. Since usually the crystals are not perfectly horizontal, the subsun often is elongated.

mysterious arc, 2004/12/13

2004/12/13 In the above three photos we can see a lower sun pillar, and the bright, elongated subsun. However there's an interesting, mysterious arc starting from the subsun and stretches towards lower right. I suspect the arc has something to do with the snow flakes in the air. If you know how it formed, please let me know! These photos were taken on an airplane near Chicago through some snowing low clouds, with a Nikon coolpix 995 camera.

Subsun 2004/11/20

2004/11/20 10:30 EST. Subsun over Pennsylvania. Nikon coolpix 995 camera.

Subsun over Atlantic ocean 2004/3/12

2004/3/12 Looking down through a window upon the Atlantic ocean and I saw this subsun, i.e. the bright reflection of the sun (which is above and out of the picture frame) off the ice crystals in the cloud. Notice it is not a reflection off the ocean. Nikon coolpix 995 camera, on a flight from London to Philadelphia.

Subsun 2003/2/13

2003/2/13 17:45 EST. A bright subsun below the wing. Photo taken with a Nikon coolpix 995 camera through window during a flight out of Atlanta.

Subsun

2000/5/27

2000/5/27, Sony camcorder. This is the view inside an air plane, looking down on the clouds beneath. Certain ice crystals reflect the image of the Sun above to form so called 'subsun'.