Rare Rainbow over Idaho.

By Alex in Pictures on Jun 22, 2006 at 10:28 am

A rare, beautiful rainbow (called a circumhorizontal arc) was spotted over Idaho:

Over the fields of northern Idaho, a rare and beautiful sight could be seen. Known as a circumhorizontal arc, it forms as sunlight is refracted through hexagonal ice crystals in cirrus clouds several kilometres above the ground. Sunlight enters a near-vertical face of each crystal and leaves from a horizontal face at the bottom. "Effectively the crystals act as a 90-degree prism for the passing rays," says Evelyn Hesse of the light-scattering group at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK.

Link


Email This Post
Tweet This Post 
Share This Post on Facebook


Neat stuff from the NeatoShop:



Keep track of the comments with Comment RSS

Don't Miss: New Stuff | Bestsellers | The Cute Store
                   Funny T-Shirts

Need a gift? Get unforgettable gifts for:
Geeks | Pranksters | Kids | Hipsters | Shutterbugs

Lijit Search

Old school? Bookmark us! RSS Feed Twitter Facebook Page