Rainbow Cloud
by Kathy K McClellan
Title
Rainbow Cloud
Artist
Kathy K McClellan
Medium
Photograph - Photographs
Description
Rainbow Cloud by Kathy K. McClellan is a photographic image created for Day 204 of the 365 Challenge (Journal 2022).
A rainbow cloud is technically an Iridescent Cloud. They are often confused with Fire Rainbows which are technically Circumhorizontal Arcs.
Fire Rainbows are caused by light refraction, similar to rainbows but Iridescent clouds are caused by light diffraction. Both are optical phenomenons.
These clouds are not actually clouds but colors IN the clouds. Iridescence tends to form high up in the sky near clouds, like cirrus or lenticular, that are made up of especially tiny ice crystals or water droplets.
An iridescent cloud's colors will likely be more muted (pink, mint & lavender) and not in the typical rainbow order whereas the circumhorizontal arc will always have the red on top and violet on the bottom.
Rainbow clouds often resemble an oil slick on a puddle or the colorful film on a soap bubble.
Most articles researched for this description agree that iridescent or rainbow clouds are a rare occurrence. I viewed and photographed this one over the Bay of Saint Louis in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi (USA) in June of 2016.
Uploaded
July 23rd, 2022
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