Alpine SubSun - a beautiful creation

[MrGullible]

Maybe this should be in "Environmental Issues" but to me it isn't an issue, but more of a beautiful creation:

If you go to _http://www.spaceweather.com/ and scroll down you will find the topic of ALPINE SUBSUN:

ALPINE SUBSUN: The next time you go skiing, look out for bright lights floating in the air around you. Really. "I saw several of them while riding the lifts in Aspen on Jan. 3rd," reports photographer Thomas O'Brien. "I decided to hike around the mountain for a better view and I found a really bright one. It was incredibly hard to photograph--like shooting directly into two suns at once." This was the view through his Canon 5D:

"It is exactly like shooting into two suns at once," says atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley, "because it is a subsun, a direct reflection of the sun by millions of ice crystals acting as mirrors. The crystals are flat plates drifting in the cold air. Subsuns can be blindingly bright, look for them while skiing or when flying."

UPDATE: O'Brien also made a movie of the subsun glittering in the wind. Watch it here.

For those reading this post later after the article is gone from the front page, here is the link to the video:

_http://www.vimeo.com/2748116

Hope it gave you the same or better feeling :)