Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Solar Whatchamadoodles

Have I complained, lately, about how freakin' cold it is around here?

The temperatures we've had are what would normally be January temperatures. It's been a good 15 degrees below normal for the past week or two. Considering how warm it was in November, it's been a huge shock to the system.

We've all gone from wearing fall jackets to our heaviest winter coats in just a few weeks. The snow isn't going anywhere. And... well... it's a long time until spring.

But, then, when it's really cold, it also tends to be really sunny (which it isn't when it's warmer and more "moist" out). And I like the really sunny times.

This morning I even got an extra treat on the drive to work. There were massive solar... umm... thingies. You know, faint "rainbows" on the sides of the sun - kind of like a halo around the sun. In the summer, they'd be sun dogs. But I have no idea what they're called this time of year.

Anyway, whatever they're called, they were really cool. I know that they're caused by the refraction of light by ice crystals in the atmosphere, but they seem more magical than that.

Heck. They must be good - they even made me happy to be driving to work.

Or at least to be driving...

1 comment:

Judy DeBoer said...
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