2 types of rainbow effect

[bugbotherer]

First a classic rainbow (with an artistic twist I hope)

Now an ice rainbow from Norfolk

Colour is everywhere
bugbotherer

[Duke of York]

We noticed a strange rainbow today while looking at clouds in our back garden. Since there was no sign of rain we were a bit surprised and wondered if it was a reflection from something on the ground as it always seem to appear in the same place.

But after seeing the pictures above it looks like we saw a ice rainbow. I took a photo unfortunately it had faded before I could snap it but this what I got



If you look carefully you might just spot it

[Wild-Woman]

Can't remember the name of this phenomenon, but I understand that it is created by defraction of the suns rays through ice crystals in clouds that are very high.If the name comes back to me I'll post it. I expect someone else will know though. Julie

[Susie]

Wow, I have never seen or even heard of an ice rainbow before, thank you both for posting those pictures.

Does anyone else think the cloud shape in Bugbotherer's ice rainbow picture looks like a man with a rainbow coloured stripey tank top on, or is it just me?

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Susie

Wow, I have never seen or even heard of an ice rainbow before, thank you both for posting those pictures.

Does anyone else think the cloud shape in Bugbotherer's ice rainbow picture looks like a man with a rainbow coloured stripey tank top on, or is it just me?

Yes great pics.

I see the man too! It's that Mick off Time Team - spooky!

[Susie]

You are as mad as I am Alan! And didn't you know that it is compulsory for archeologists to have stripey hand knitted jumpers and dodgy hats?

Anyway, it is a great photo.

[henrya]

These are called sundogs or, more technically, 22 degree parhelia (one is a parhelion).

But bugbotherer's is unusual in that it appears to be sideways, compared to Duke of York's picture) - did you rotate the picture bb? If not, it's the top of a parhelic circle. Must look up to see if it's still a sundog at this position.

henrya

[bugbotherer]

Henrya,
I was looking straight up with the sun behind me. If that helps ? Don't recall rotating the Saturday swapshop host either

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by henrya

These are called sundogs or, more technically, 22 degree parhelia (one is a parhelion).

But bugbotherer's is unusual in that it appears to be sideways, compared to Duke of York's picture) - did you rotate the picture bb? If not, it's the top of a parhelic circle. Must look up to see if it's still a sundog at this position.

henrya

That's the name! My memory just isn't like it used to be. Sorry, what were we talking about?

[Garden Carpet]

On a flight to Spain I noticed a circular rainbow in the clouds below the aircraft. This lasted a long time so I thought it must have been some sort of reflection from the aircraft. Perhaps it wasnt afterall... any ideas what it might have been.. it was pretty large and a complete circle.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Susie

Wow, I have never seen or even heard of an ice rainbow before, thank you both for posting those pictures.

Does anyone else think the cloud shape in Bugbotherer's ice rainbow picture looks like a man with a rainbow coloured stripey tank top on, or is it just me?

Wow...you can even see a face... somebody would interpret that as an angel or something...you should send pic to the fortean times!

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Alan

Yes great pics.

I see the man too! It's that Mick off Time Team - spooky!

LOL!

[speckled wood]

Originally Posted by Susie

Does anyone else think the cloud shape in Bugbotherer's ice rainbow picture looks like a man with a rainbow coloured stripey tank top on, or is it just me?

Yes, its what comes of drinking at lunchtime.

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

On a flight to Spain I noticed a circular rainbow in the clouds below the aircraft. This lasted a long time so I thought it must have been some sort of reflection from the aircraft. Perhaps it wasnt afterall... any ideas what it might have been.. it was pretty large and a complete circle.

I have noticed that b4 too, think its called a cloud inversion, but I may be wrong, hill walkers can sometimes see themselves on a cloud below them with a rainbow halo around them, imagine that............

[henrya]

Quote
On a flight to Spain I noticed a circular rainbow in the clouds below the aircraft. This lasted a long time so I thought it must have been some sort of reflection from the aircraft. Perhaps it wasnt afterall... any ideas what it might have been.. it was pretty large and a complete circle.
Endquote

This is called the glory, and is a similar effect to that which produces a rainbow - reflection and refraction inside small water droplets.

Quote
hill walkers can sometimes see themselves on a cloud below them with a rainbow halo around them, imagine that............
Endquote

This is another form of the glory, sometimes known as the Spectre of the Brocken because it was often seen on the Brocken mountain. Your shadow usually appears hugely and scarily enlarged on the cloud below you. The halo is around your head, not your whole body. You can also see glories round your head shadow in dew on lawns in the early morning.

bugbotherer - I'm still not sure what your second picture is. It could be part of the 22 degree parhelic circle (unlikely, I think) or an upper tangent arc to the parhelic circle (pencil shaped ice crystals), or part of a circumzenithal arc (plate shaped ice crystals). Without knowing exactly where the sun was (degrees above the horizon) or seeing the rest of the sky (any more pictures?) I don't think I can make a better guess. Sorry I was lazy last time and typed bb for bugbotherer!

henrya

[Jonny]

Brocken spectre, thats the one, thanks for the info Henrya, I once read about it in trail magazine, it used to spook people who saw it. I have been up on many hills and mountains but have never seen it, one day though.........

[bugbotherer]

henrya,
I have some more shots but I croped them.................. (which removed some of the landmarks that might have helped).
darn it....
I don't mind BB, thanks for your consideration

[henrya]

Jonny

Quote
I once read about it in trail magazine, it used to spook people who saw it. I have been up on many hills and mountains but have never seen it, one day though.........
Endquote

I was walking up Ben Lawers some yaers ago with a group, through cloud, and suddenly one of the party galloped on ahead shouting "Look for the Brocken Spectre, look for the Brocken Spectre!" We didn't see it though, and I've spent too much time in Cambridgeshire since then to have a chance! My late father used to speak of being on top of a mountain and seeing a rainbow going round his head, coming out of his ears (I think this was in the Alps). It used to puzzle me as to what he could possibly mean until I learnt about the Brocken Spectre!

henrya

[Jonny]

Originally Posted by henrya

Jonny

Quote
I once read about it in trail magazine, it used to spook people who saw it. I have been up on many hills and mountains but have never seen it, one day though.........
Endquote

I was walking up Ben Lawers some yaers ago with a group, through cloud, and suddenly one of the party galloped on ahead shouting "Look for the Brocken Spectre, look for the Brocken Spectre!" We didn't see it though, and I've spent too much time in Cambridgeshire since then to have a chance! My late father used to speak of being on top of a mountain and seeing a rainbow going round his head, coming out of his ears (I think this was in the Alps). It used to puzzle me as to what he could possibly mean until I learnt about the Brocken Spectre!

henrya

Well its a good excuse (if you need one) to spend more time in them hills.........

[modey]

I remember being at primary school and I saw one of those little rainbows in the sky. It was the 1st and only time I have ever seen one. Thanks for the pics and the info after many years of wondering I Know now what it was

Cheers

[Earth Hart]

When I saw over in Sicily, Dec.2002, staying with a lady friend, who was a photographer & vulcanologist, we saw, for 3 days running, a complete sundog & on the night of the Full Moon, a complete Moondog. Dogs are completely circular, around sun or moon. This was all thanks to the 2002/3 eruption of Etna. I have prints of the sun & moondogs which I took, if I can get them scaned, I'll post. As none of my pics have been excepted so far we'll just have to wait & see if the mods relent.

[lol geoff]

I've noticed that if I look at the reflection sun in my pond on a hazy day I can often see the rainbow effect, it could be something to do with the polarization of the reflected light.

[henrya]

Quote
Dogs are completely circular, around sun or moon.
Endquote

The circles are haloes (or parhelic circles), sundogs are small sections of halo.

If the haloes you saw were due to Mount Etna, they were presumably caused by dust in the upper atmosphere, and not to ice crystals, and a different effect entirely (unless the dust particles were acting as nuclei for the ice crystals. I should like to see the pictures - hope you can get them scanned.

Quote
I've noticed that if I look at the reflection sun in my pond on a hazy day I can often see the rainbow effect, it could be something to do with the polarization of the reflected light.
Endquote

Any chance of a photograph? I'm not sure what effect you are seeing here. By the way, be careful looking at even a reflection of the sun, and don't use a viewfinder camera to photograph it!

henrya


henrya

[Earth Hart]

Thanks, Henrya, a native told me they were dogs, when we were up on Etna.