Cape Cod, Massachusetts Halos imaged by Jim Kirk September 1, 2006. ©Jim Kirk, shown with permission. The sun is 52° high and thin cirrus produces a spectacular and rare halo display. This image from Jim Kirk's extensive series of photographs shows a sundog far from the conventionally thought of 22° distance from the sun. It remains at the sun's altitude and on the parhelic circle but lies beyond even the bright circumscribed halo. Sunlight has to internally reflect an even number of times from the upper and lower basal faces of plate crystals to produce sundogs at these high solar altitudes. Look carefully for faint arcs extending from the sundog towards the circumscribed halo. these are not Lowitz arcs but rare high sun Parry arcs.