Photo of the Week: Dogs of the Antarctic Sun

"Sun dogs," or phantom suns, shine to either side of a sensor being used by the ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) to study the atmospheric energy balance, cloud microphysics, precipitation, and aerosol chemistry of Antarctica. (Sun dogs manifest to the sides of the sun when falling ice crystals refract the light, at 22-degree angles.)

Led by research physicist Dan Lubin and including co-investigator Lynn Russell of Scripps Oceanography's Climate, Atmospheric Science and Physical Oceanography (CASPO) division, AWARE is a collaborative project between the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Read more at the AWARE site.

Related Image Gallery: Photo of the Week 2016