Dodger
22nd December 2006, 09:36
These photos were taken from the window of our building yesterday.
did anyone else this this funky looking beastie?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A circumhorizontal arc, also known as a fire rainbow, is an optical phenomenon similar in appearance to a rainbow, caused by the refraction of light through the ice crystals in cirrus clouds. It occurs only when the sun is high in the sky, at least 58° above the horizon, and can only occur in cirrus clouds.
The phenomenon is quite rare because the ice crystals must be aligned horizontally (instead of the more typical vertical alignment) to reflect. It is often thought of as the rarest natural occurrance in the world.
higher res:
http://nightlite.co.nz/dodger/other/P1010001.JPG
http://nightlite.co.nz/dodger/other/P1010002.JPG
did anyone else this this funky looking beastie?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A circumhorizontal arc, also known as a fire rainbow, is an optical phenomenon similar in appearance to a rainbow, caused by the refraction of light through the ice crystals in cirrus clouds. It occurs only when the sun is high in the sky, at least 58° above the horizon, and can only occur in cirrus clouds.
The phenomenon is quite rare because the ice crystals must be aligned horizontally (instead of the more typical vertical alignment) to reflect. It is often thought of as the rarest natural occurrance in the world.
higher res:
http://nightlite.co.nz/dodger/other/P1010001.JPG
http://nightlite.co.nz/dodger/other/P1010002.JPG