The word of the day on Dictionary.com is Sundog!

A Sundog is in fact:

1. a bright circular spot on a solar halo; parhelion.

Above is a great image of one (credit: iStock.com / karinegenest)! This is in fact the Sundog we had in mind when naming Sundog Software way back in 2006.

When I meet people and tell them about my company, they usually want to hear the story about my dog that inspired the name for Sundog Software. Or, they think it has something to do with us being located in sunny Florida.

For some reason, they usually look disappointed when I tell them the company was actually named after the coolest atmospheric phenomenon I could find that wasn’t already trademarked! Truth is, I don’t even own a dog.

Personally, I think sundogs are pretty cool. When it’s a little bit hazy and cool, ice crystals in the upper atmosphere can create a circular rainbow around the sun, with bright spots on either side of it. That’s a sundog! Next time you see one in the sky, think of us.