Coronado Beach, California
While relaxing on the beach at Coronado Island, I happened to glance up from my book and caught sight of a sun dog—an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky, typically appearing on either side of the sun within a luminous halo.
I quickly captured the moment with my mobile phone, though the photo doesn’t quite do the scene justice. The sun dog on the left was noticeably more prominent than its counterpart on the right. Unfortunately, the distinctive halo is not easily visible in the image. The pink “petals” and the two horizontal rays extending from the sun are lens refractions, but the bright spots at the ends were indeed present in the sky.
A lone sun dog hovers above the Coronado Islands on the horizon.
Looking south toward the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, with Mexico visible in the distance. It was a spectacular day at the beach—79°F in mid-December. Truly, paradise right in my backyard.
For a deeper dive into the science behind sun dogs, along with even more stunning images, visit this Sun Dog article.