Parhelion Workbench

The Sundog Eye

A parametric exercise of the parhelion description. Tune the optics on the right; the static composition holds the still pose that the animation phases will narrate.

Optical Parameters

Each slider exposes one term of the parhelion description. Defaults render the canonical "sundog eye" still pose.

Geometry Model

Legacy updates visible features directly. Halo Scaffold uses a free ellipse. Halo Governed uses a single circle through dagger-sun-dagger. Halo Atlas treats every visible arc as the upper portion of its own real circle — sun-altitude binds to dagger placement (parhelion = R₂₂/cos(h)), CZA is a true full ring, and a supralateral arc joins the atlas. Calibrated against the Troels Nielsen DR photograph.

Sun & Pillar

Sun Altitude (°)25

Sun Pillar Intensity0.80

Sun Pillar Length0.55

Compass Ray Length0.85

Compass Rotation (°)22.50

Halos

22° Halo0.95

46° Halo0.45

Arcs

CZA / Eyelid0.95

CZA Curvature0.85

Parhelic Circle Intensity0.55

Supralateral Arc0.40

Parry Supralateral0.00

Upper Tangent (eyelid)0.00

Suncave Parry0.00

Lower Tangent (under-halo)0.00

Infralateral Arcs0.00

Parhelic Circle Curvature0.05 derive from sun altitude (Phase 3 binding)

Parhelic Belt Offset-0.05

Parhelia (daggers)

Parhelia Intensity1.00

Dagger Length1.00

Composition

Secondary Suns0.00

Ring Overlap Bias0.50

Palette & Atmosphere

Dispersion Width0.70

Rainbow Saturation0.85

Idle Scintillation0.00

Notes

Sun is a compass rose, not an orb — pillar × parhelic cross. Halo at 22° is the iris. CZA is the upper eyelid (tangent to 46° halo top). Upper / Lower Tangent are eyelid features tangent to the 22° halo. Suncave Parry / Parry Supralateral are Parry-orientation companions. Infralateral mirrors the supralateral below the sun. Sun Altitude drives the parhelion offset by R₂₂ / cos(h). Secondary Suns activates the 9-halo-eye fiction. ← back to /sundog.html (public explainer)