Photographer captures super rare shot of a 'horizontal rainbow' that took over the whole sky
Do you remember the double rainbow guy from a few years ago? Well, this photo may just bring him out of retirement. Double rainbows occur when light reflects through a raindrop twice, once from a higher perspective and once from a lower one. While double rainbows are cool, have you ever heard of a Fire Rainbow?
“Fire rainbows” are a special event only witnessed in certain parts of the world.
Fire rainbows, or circumhorizontal arcs as they are known, are unique in their formation and different that their cousins, the regular rainbow. These “fire rainbows” are an optical phenomenon that occurs from ice halo’s forming in cirrus clouds. It can happen as a multicolored arc and can look “firelike” in appearance if overlayed onto a fragmentary cirrus cloud.
The name may be a bit misleading!
While there are few cooler names than “fire rainbow,” this one may not be an exact fit.
Wikipedia says:
“The misleading term “fire rainbow” is sometimes used to describe this phenomenon, although it is neither a rainbow, nor related in any way to fire. The term, apparently coined in 2006,[3] may originate in the occasional appearance of the arc as “flames” in the sky, when it occurs in fragmentary cirrus clouds.[4]“
While not a fire or a rainbow, they can still be pretty stunning.
Cessna Kutz is a photographer based out of Washington and took an incredible photo of one of these arcs. In the photo, you can see the entire sky painted with colors in what looks like a watercolor project for God. She said in her Instagram post:
“Witnessed a pretty cool phenomenon out on lake Sammamish today. A horizontal rainbow! To me, it was a little reminder to hold onto hope and love instead of fear and panic in these unknown times. Stay safe out there, friends.”
Cessna has some other awesome photos; you can check out on her Instagram or her website.
What are the chances you could see a circumhorizontal arc?
There are certain places in the world where you are more likely to experience one of these beautiful sights. The main factor in seeing one is the position of the sun in the sky. The ideal angle is fairly steep at 58°. Anything below that doesn’t have the ability to refract correctly and cause the natural phenomenon. Since most of the United States falls within these parameters, it is relatively common to see these arc multiple times a year in the same spot. In Europe, they are much less common, with London only having 140 possible hours a year (compare that to 670 in Los Angeles).
Whatever the place, there is natural beauty to be found everywhere!
Even if you can’t see a “fire rainbow,” be on the lookout for other cool things! Cloud iridescence is a beautiful picture caused by diffraction instead of refraction, for example!
Give this photographer a look!
Cessna has some great photos! Her photo of the fire rainbow went viral almost instantly when she posted it. Natural beauty is always something worth checking out!
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Source: Cessna Kuts, Bored Panda