|
Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Guisard
(Los Cielos de Chile)
Explanation:
Have you ever seen a moonbow?
Just as
rainbows are lit by the
Sun, moonbows are lit by the
Moon.
Since the
Sun
is so much brighter than the
Moon,
sunlit
rainbows are much brighter and more commonly seen than
moonbows.
The above movie captures not only a
moonbow,
but several rainbows,
moving clouds, and the starry sky visible in 2009 February over
Patagonia in
Chile.
The slight movement of the rainbows is due to the changing sky position of the Sun.
Since moonlight is itself
reflected sunlight,
the colors are nearly the same.
Both
rainbows and moonbows are created by
light being scattered inside small water droplets,
typically from a nearby rainfall.
The raindrops each act as miniature
prisms, together creating the picturesque
spectrum of colors seen.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: rainbow
Publications with words: rainbow
See also: