Light Pillars in Minnesota

"Ron Wanttaja" wrote ...

I grew up in Fargo (Fargo South HS, NDSU). When the movie came out, I was
practically rolling in the aisles whenever the characters spoke. Yes,
it's
exaggerated a bit, but the accents are very much like that. They caught
it very
nicely.

My wife says when I call home to talk to my parents, my Norwegian accent
comes
back. Ya, sure....

Ron,

My grandfather was born and in Brainerd in 1895. He grew up there and spoke
only Swedish until he was 13.

Rich

Interesting. I always understood that you could get a sundog (or
moondog, for that matter) ANYTIME there was a major occluded front with
enough temperature differentiation - and the sun at the right angle, of
course (even well below the horizon). The interface between the two
different atmospheric densities produce a mirror (as does any similar
sharp density differential - such as between air and water), reflecting
the image of the sun or moon. However, the source you give seems to
credit ONLY the plate ice crystals for this (and for most everything
else G).

jmk

I always understood that you could get a sundog (or moondog,... between...
two different atmospheric densities...

It's not the densities that create the refraction of light as the
densities bwtn two air masses is not much more than 0.05 index units.
Refraction typically needs at least a good 0.2 index difference to be
visible. Air is 1.0, glass 1.4 and up, water 1.3, etc. It's the
environment they create, allowing plate and barrel ice crystals to
form... typically associated with cirrus and cirro-stratus.

the source you give seems to credit ONLY the plate ice crystals
for this (and for most everything else G).

They're the scientists and weather experts. If air densities played
a noticable part, I'm sure mention and explanations would've been
provided.

Not discounting your theory or understanding, though. It's probably
possible as refraction at ground elevations via thermal (density)
turbulence creates heat shimmer and inversion createss mirages. Apply
that to a much larger area even in the rarified conditions at 40 to 80
thousand feet and I bet some sort of slight distortion could be had.





Dean A. Scott, mfa
---------------------------------------
School of Visual Art and Design
southern adventist university
---------------------------------------
http://www.southern.edu/~dascott

I've seen some wierd weather here in Colorado in the past few months,
but nothing like that! I'll ave to start watching. BTW, now that I'm
living between Denver and the rockies, I;ll have to post a few pix of
the incredible rotors we have. It'll snow in the mountians 10 miles
from here, and the black wall will come right to the edge of the
foothills and then just stop. Not an elevation thing, just a massive
rotor.

Harry

"wright1902glider" wrote
I;ll have to post a few pix of
the incredible rotors we have. It'll snow in the mountians 10 miles
from here, and the black wall will come right to the edge of the
foothills and then just stop. Not an elevation thing, just a massive
rotor.

Cool! Post away! Just links, if possible. (of course) ;-)
--
Jim in NC

Yah sure.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Randy Aldous" wrote in message
oups.com...
Fargo (1996)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0116282
Pretty good flick. Although, we all don't talk like that (well, ok,
maybe just a little...sometimes)