Photo and Enlargement of Object.

Albany is in Western Oregon About 15 Miles South of Salem.

Date of Sighting: June 21, 2011
Time of Sighting: 2:26 PM PDT
Location of Sighting: Albany, Oregon (See Map)

Description: On June 21, 2011 my friend's wife called him at his work in Albany just approximately 1/4 mile east of I-5 on Highway 20. She told my friend to check out the odd cloud formations just to the south. At 2:26 PM he took this picture with his cell phone. The first copy is the original size and the second is cropped in a bit. It is interesting to see the apparent discoloration and turbulence in the cloud near the object.

Note: It is difficult to do much analysis on the photo because the cell phone photos are of low resolution. However, zooming in reveals a circular object. It is doubtful that the object is a bird. Other explanations are possible, but I don't know what they would be? I don't think that the "RAINBOW" effect on the clouds near the object is related to the object. It is most likely to be a reflection of sunlight into primary colors. The correct term is "sun dog." (See comments below.)

Comments Received June 28, 2011: The color in the clouds is a parhelia (sun dog) or one of the other "atmospheric color" shows (and there are a number of them) produced by the sun shining into thin cirrus clouds. Link: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/dogcol.htm

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