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Credit & Copyright: Todd Sladoje
Explanation:
Why would clouds appear to be different colors?
The reason here is that ice crystals in distant cirrus clouds are acting like little
floating
prisms.
Sometimes known as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a
circumhorizon arc lies
parallel to the horizon.
For a circumhorizontal arc
to be visible,
the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where
cirrus clouds are present.
Furthermore, the numerous, flat,
hexagonal ice-crystals
that compose the
cirrus cloud must be
aligned horizontally
to properly
refract sunlight in a collectively
similar manner.
Therefore, circumhorizontal arcs are quite unusual to
see.
This circumhorizon display was photographed through a
polarized
lens above
Dublin,
Ohio in 2009.
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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: clouds
Publications with words: clouds
See also:
- APOD: 2024 November 19 Á Undulatus Clouds over Las Campanas Observatory
- APOD: 2024 July 7 Á Iridescent Clouds over Sweden
- APOD: 2023 August 20 Á A Roll Cloud Over Wisconsin
- APOD: 2023 February 12 Á Mammatus Clouds over Nebraska
- Nacreous Clouds over Lapland
- A Retreating Thunderstorm at Sunset
- A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia