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The two ships see a parhelium, 4 June 1596
Veer, Gerrit de
The journal of Gerrit de Veer describes how on 4 June 1596, on 71 degrees northern latitude, a ‘wondrous celestial sign’ was observed. The drawing and descriptions make clear that they saw a parhelium (also known as ‘sun dogs’), a optical phenomenon caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
The image shows the two ships, still together at this stage of the expedition, with the parhelium between them in the sky.
From the Wahrhafftige Relation, the German version of Gerrit de Veer’s journal, published in 1598. (See under ‘documentation’ for details.)
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