What Are Fire Rainbow And Moonbow (Lunar Rainbow)?

All our inventions and technologies fade away in seconds when nature enters the field to reveal its power. Nature does such things very quietly, seeing which even scientists from around the world are stunned for once. Two of such craziest natural phenomena of nature are the "Fire Rainbow" And "Moonbow".

Fire Rainbow (Circumhorizontal Arc)

Fire Rainbow can be seen in many countries, but still, this sight is quite rare. This is because the conditions required for its formation are very rarely coincidental. For this, the sun should be at least 58 degrees above the horizon, and there must be hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere, usually in cirrus clouds, at a specified height. And the sunlight must be refracted through these crystals at a precise angle, then somewhere this beautiful sight of nature appears. But once it appears, it persists for many hours and sometimes it is so large that it stretches for miles. Even though its name is Fire Rainbow, it neither has fire nor rainbow. It got its name just because of the way it looks. Technically its name is "Circumhorizontal Arc". Although fire rainbows are very rare, but even more beautiful and rare is the fire rainbow made from moonlight.

Moonbow (Moon Rainbow)

We all have been hearing about rainbows for centuries, but have you ever heard of a rainbow that is not formed by direct sunlight but rather produced by moonlight? These rainbow formations are generally known as "Moonbows". Such moonbows are commonly seen over Victoria Falls, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Apart from this, moonbows are also formed over Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park, and Cumberland Falls, which remain the center of attraction for photographers around the world. The science behind these rainbows is similar to solar rainbows. But due to the low illumination of the Moon, it is slightly less bright or much fainter than solar rainbows. But when the moon is at its brightest phase such as the full moon, Moonbows can be most easily seen.