naure.com
NatureSurprise 5/5Difficulty 3/5Reviewed on September 14, 2026

A sundog is a type of rainbow that appears at night.

Why it is true

A sundog, or parhelion, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that appears during the day, usually when the Sun is low on the horizon. It forms from the refraction of sunlight in ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere and appears as bright spots beside the Sun.

Source: NOAA

Would you rather be asked first?

This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.

Test yourself →10-question challenge

Related facts

More in Nature

See all →