A fire rainbow has nothing to do with fire or rainbows, but it’s so mesmerizing. They’re actually circumhorizontal arcs and optical phenomenon that happens when the sun is higher than 58 degrees in the sky.
The other factor that contributes to this phenomenon is cirrus clouds-thin and feathery types of clouds that form on very high altitude.
The temperature where they exist is low and they’re made of hexagonal ice crystals. When properly aligned, they act as a prism and the refraction results remind of a rainbow.
Not an Uncommon View in the US?
Their frequency depends on the location in specific latitude. In the US, it’s not uncommon to notice this phenomenon several times every summer.
However, it’s much rarer in mid-latitude and northern Europe.
For example, the possibility to see these fire rainbows in LA is 5 to 10 times higher than seeing them in London.
The term fire rainbow was coined back in 2006 and it was probably inspired by the appearance of the phenomenon which reminds of flames in the sky.
This phenomenon causes the clouds to seem multi-colored; however, this is the result of diffraction, not refraction. This is caused by liquid water droplets or ice crystals.
Photographer Catches a Magical Photo of the Fire Rainbow
Cessna Kutz is a photographer who noticed and caught the stunning fire rainbow over Lake Sammamish on camera.
She wrote on her Instagram when she shared the impressive photo ‘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.’
Without doubt, no matter how rare or not, this is a beautiful thing to witness in the sky. Until we do see it ourselves, it’s good to know that there are photos of it.
Our world is so beautiful and magical, don’t you agree?!
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