It’s no double rainbow, but for lucky residents of South Carolina, this rare cloud feature was something to get excited about. Some viewers called it a “multi-colored angel hovering overhead”. Nearby cirrus clouds tend to take on the appearance of rainbow.
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Images of the iridescent clouds went viral, but scientists say “fire rainbow” is a misnomer: the phenomenon is not a true rainbow, and it has nothing to do with fire – instead of rain or flame, the phenomenon is caused by ice.
The unusual display only occurs when the sun is at an angle higher than 58 degrees.
When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism.
Because such a specific angle is necessary for the colours to be visible, the phenomenon is most common at middle latitudes, which includes the southern United States.
Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist at The Weather Network, was of the view that one can easily see it during the summer in North America.
‘But in places like Europe, the arcs are much rarer’.
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Reports say the unbelievable cloud formation was seen by locals in the region, who were stunned after seeing the view.
1 Comment on this Post
Sarah Katz
It resembles the staff of Hermes! Beautfiul. 🙂