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Fire rainbow spotted in Ohio sky explained

Chock Full o Nuts

Chock Full o Nuts

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Have a love of the sky, and know of a lot of atmospheric phenomena, but never heard of this. Awesome.


The website Scientific Origin reveals that the so-called “fire rainbows” are “rare and geographically limited” because of three factors. First, the sun’s angle must be at least 58 degrees above the horizon. Next, the cirrus clouds need hexagonal, plate-like ice crystals to refract the light. Last, the ice crystals should be horizontally aligned within the cirrus clouds to get the distinctive blaze shape.
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I have seen that happen before, back when I was young and living in Southern Illinois and spent a lot of time outdoors and looking up.

I knew it was sunlight refracting through cloud ice crystals that was like the effect of sunlight through a prism, but I never knew they had a common name for them aka Fire Rainbow.
 
Waiting for the idiot JFK Jr to claim this is some new kind of government induce chemical vapor trail conspiracy.
 
This is awesome! Only once in my life did I ever see anything like it. When I was in 6th grade, would have been around 1967-68 during a severe thunderstorm, I saw a big glowing gold ball-lightning move across the front lawn. No one believed me. It would be 40 years later that I was able to say "TOLD YA SO!!!!"
 
LouC said:
I have seen that happen before, back when I was young and living in Southern Illinois and spent a lot of time outdoors and looking up.

I knew it was sunlight refracting through cloud ice crystals that was like the effect of sunlight through a prism, but I never knew they had a common name for them aka Fire Rainbow.
Click to expand...
Never lucky enough to catch that, or a sundog, etc.

I just get boring rainbows, ;) or some good pink clouds on the horizon.

Outside of light interacting in the atmosphere, I do like me a good shelf cloud.
Never know what you'll miss if you don't look up.
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
Never lucky enough to catch that, or a sundog, etc.

I just get boring rainbows, ;) or some good pink clouds on the horizon.

Outside of light interacting in the atmosphere, I do like me a good shelf cloud.
Never know what you'll miss if you don't look up.
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Never saw a night time fire rainbow but apparently they are a thing. I have seen lots and lots of sun-dogs.
 
Jessie C said:
This is awesome! Only once in my life did I ever see anything like it. When I was in 6th grade, would have been around 1967-68 during a severe thunderstorm, I saw a big glowing gold ball-lightning move across the front lawn. No one believed me. It would be 40 years later that I was able to say "TOLD YA SO!!!!"
Click to expand...
Never got to see ball-lightning but my friend Steve did.
 
ataraxia said:
Well, it’s called the “Debate Politics” and not the “Debate Clouds” forum for a reason…😁
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I know. 😔

Just  one though. Too much to ask?

Shit, I could say I forgot to flush this morning, and someone would say RFK would be here soon to check for traces of red dye.:ROFLMAO:
 
Very cool. Never seen that one.
Many years ago I had climbed high in some mountains on a week long hunting trip. Got up one sunny morning and stood on a cliff edge with a coffee in hand looking at the clouds in the valleys below our camp. Thinking about how we were in a beautiful clear sunny day, and everyone down at the base of the mountains were probably either in rain, or expecting rain. Stuck my arms out to stretch away the sleep and saw this -
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I didn't have a camera with me, so this image is from Google, but it looked just like that, although the bottom half of the rainbow was weaker for me. Seems that when you get the right conditions, and can cast your shadow onto the right sort of clouds below you, you can get "Spectre de Brocken". I have spent a lot of time up high above the clouds, but I only one other time got a very weak and short repeat of this. It's pretty stunning when you see it the first time and have no idea that it is even possible.
 
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