What Is A Fire Rainbow? Where Can You Spot This Rare Phenomenon?

You might have seen rainbows that sometimes grace the sky with their beautiful colours. But have you ever heard of a fire rainbow? It is an extremely rare phenomenon and is not as common as the seven-coloured rainbows we usually see. If this has caught your interest, scroll down to know more about it and the places where you might be lucky enough to spot one.

How Does A Fire Rainbow Form?

Fire rainbows, scientifically called circumhorizontal arcs, are very rare. Not everyone gets lucky enough to spot them. They look like fiery, multicoloured clouds and are so vibrant that sometimes, just by looking at them, it feels like another portal of the universe is opening its gates. According to National Geographic, fire rainbows are caused when sunlight passes through high-altitude cirrus clouds. 

They only appear when the sun is very high in the sky, more than 58° above the horizon. The ice crystals in cirrus clouds must also be shaped like thick plates with their faces facing the ground.  When light enters these ice crystals, it bends and refracts like light passing through a prism, creating a bright spectrum of colours in the sky. 

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Where Can We Spot Them? 

Unlike normal rainbows, fire rainbows are not caused by rain. They happen due to a very specific alignment of sunlight and ice crystals high in the atmosphere. That is why they are uncommon. The appearance looks fiery, colourful, and extremely vibrant, just like fire. 

Fire rainbows have been spotted in places like Florida, Texas, West Virginia, Portugal, and Indonesia. According to ABC News, one such dazzling fire rainbow lit up the sky in South Carolina, leaving onlookers amazed. So, if you want to see this in real life, you might have to visit one of these places. The best time to spot them is during the summer months, when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky.

Also Read: Shefali Shah Sees The Northern Lights For The First Time In Finland And Calls It Magic

If you are lucky and the sun aligns perfectly high in the sky, you might just spot a fire rainbow one day!

Cover Image Courtesy: @amazing_physics/X