Residents of Isle of Palms, South Carolina, were surprised by what they saw in the sky this past Sunday. A so-called “fire rainbow,” a twisted and colorful cloud, appeared in the sky and lingered for about an hour. The technical term for these phenomena is circumhorizontal arcs, and they occur in high-level cirrus clouds which are made up of tiny ice crystals.
“To produce the rainbow colors the sun’s rays must enter the ice crystals at a precise angle to give the prism effect of the color spectrum,” said meteorologist Justin Lock, adding the sun must be at an altitude of at least 58 degrees above the horizon. “Again, it has to do with getting the precise angle.”
(h/t: 14news)
South Carolina residents were surprised to see this on Sunday
Image credits: Jackie Hill
Turns out, this is a “fire rainbow,” or “circumhorizontal arc”
Image credits: 3rdnlong /
“They only occur in high-level cirrus clouds made up of tiny ice crystals” explains meteorologist Justin Lock
Image credits: sseaburd
“To produce the rainbow colors the sun’s rays must enter the ice crystals at a precise angle to give the prism effect of the color spectrum”
Image credits: Christy Cawley
The sun must be at an altitude of at least 58 degrees above the horizon
Image credits: Tracey Smith / accentsbyalex
Image credits: ginknowsabe
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Share on FacebookAs a child I always looked up to the sky and let my imagination go. At 77 I still do and have been rewarded with many beautiful shows that Nature gives us. Jackie Drown
I took a picture of such a rainbow in Thassos this year. So incredible!
Oh I saw one in western NY about 6 years ago. I didn't know what it was.
That is TOXIC heavy NANO metals sprayed over your sky's by Washington DC - District of Communists !!! Look on the clouds, they are chemical HELL not real !!! People wake up,don't be stupid any more !!!! http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/
You don't look like you get out much, Debbie Downer. STFU.
Load More Replies...It's a freaking chemtrail reflecting light off all the aluminum and barrium particles in this chemtrail - there is nothing natural about this! -And you must be a bored panda to be creating new cloud names that never existed in the natural world - wake up! Fire rainbows are a fabricated name to disguise chemtrails!
You are a nut job. STFU. Cirrus clouds are nothing new. I've seen many weird cloud formations, and I see new and different things every year, because everyone seems to have a camera on them these days. Bummer, dude.
Load More Replies...As a child I always looked up to the sky and let my imagination go. At 77 I still do and have been rewarded with many beautiful shows that Nature gives us. Jackie Drown
I took a picture of such a rainbow in Thassos this year. So incredible!
Oh I saw one in western NY about 6 years ago. I didn't know what it was.
That is TOXIC heavy NANO metals sprayed over your sky's by Washington DC - District of Communists !!! Look on the clouds, they are chemical HELL not real !!! People wake up,don't be stupid any more !!!! http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org/
You don't look like you get out much, Debbie Downer. STFU.
Load More Replies...It's a freaking chemtrail reflecting light off all the aluminum and barrium particles in this chemtrail - there is nothing natural about this! -And you must be a bored panda to be creating new cloud names that never existed in the natural world - wake up! Fire rainbows are a fabricated name to disguise chemtrails!
You are a nut job. STFU. Cirrus clouds are nothing new. I've seen many weird cloud formations, and I see new and different things every year, because everyone seems to have a camera on them these days. Bummer, dude.
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