Tuesday, July 8, 2014

What are Those Colorful, Crazy Clouds in the Sky??

What are Those Colorful, Crazy Clouds in the Sky??:



Ethereal and stunning sundog-like forms in the clouds called circumhorizontal arcs over Oxford, England on June 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nathanial Burton-Bradford.

Ethereal and stunning sundog-like forms in the clouds called circumhorizontal arcs over Oxford, England on June 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: Nathanial Burton-Bradford.
My Twitter feed exploded on June 25 with reports of colorful, crazy-looking clouds, sundogs, Sun halos and more. The above image from Nathanial Burton-Bradford is just an example of the type of atmospheric effect called a circumhorizontal arc. These are sometimes referred to as “fire rainbows” but of course are not rainbows at all, and have nothing to do with fire.

This is an optical phenomenon from sunlight hitting ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. It is actually a rather rare occurance, but it it happens most often during the daytime in summer when the Sun is high in the sky. This creates a rainbow-type effect directly in the clouds.

See more examples below.



Wispy clouds and a circumhorizontal arc over Italy. Credit and copyright: Elisabetta Bonora.

Wispy clouds and a circumhorizontal arc over Italy. Credit and copyright: Elisabetta Bonora.
Circumhorizontal Arc over the UK on June 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: Sculptor Lil on Flickr.

Circumhorizontal Arc over the UK on June 25, 2014. Credit and copyright: Sculptor Lil on Flickr.
You can find out more about circumhorizontal arcs from this article from Amusing Planet.

Tagged as:
atmospheric effects,
Circumhorizontal Arc,
clouds

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