Comments on: Naked Rainbows

By: Jeff Sullivan

Jeff Sullivan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:34:08 +0000

To see a rainbow toward the sun, like a sundog, maybe you just need a refracting material of a certain shape.

Here’s a double sundog I caught in mist a few feet away one morning in Yosemite National Park: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/yosemite-photos/#/yosemite-sunrise_2087_600x450.jpg

The key to that one may have been below-freezing temperatures, creating suspended ice crystals much like you’d get way up in the atmosphere with a typical sundog.

By: hale_bopp

hale_bopp — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 23:05:32 +0000

I was flying from St. Thomas to St. Croix on a little puddle jumper and looked out the window and saw a full 360 degree rainbow! After an initial bout of surprise, it made perfect sense that there are equal angles above and below the horizon. We just never see the bottom half because the ground gets in the way.

So it sounds like Phil saw the bottom half of the rainbow as he was looking down with the Sun high and behind him.

Oh, but my camera was in checked baggage!

Rob

By: Blake Stacey

Blake Stacey — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 10:54:55 +0000

HvP,

Thank you very much for linking to the sundog.clara.co.uk site — both the pictures and the explanations are fantastic!

By: HvP

HvP — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 05:33:38 +0000

Jessica,

It’s often difficult to guess these things from just a description, but I’m thinking you were able to spot a “Sundog”. See if this link looks anything like what you saw: http://www.stormchaser.ca/Atmospheric_Optics/Halos_etc/Jan_Sundog_34.html

They don’t always show a multicolor spectrum in the glare, but the ones that do are very striking. I was lucky enough to see one (actually two, one on each side) a few months ago. It was quite brilliant and kept it’s luminosity for a good 20 minutes.

They are caused by falling ice-crystalls instead of raindrops like a rainbow. http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/halo/parhelia.htm

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 03:18:02 +0000

Very cool! I was driving back from my fiance’s on Sunday while we had a huge wind-and-thunderstorm. And rain. (I hate the weather now, it’s crazy.) About halfway back I saw the sun coming out, sort of, and a lot of fleecy clouds in the sky. There was a vertical rainbow in the clouds! (Cloudbow? It’s been years since I studied clouds.) Funny thing was, though, that the sun was about thirty degrees or so to my right, and the rain/cloudbow about the same to my left. Well above my head, obviously. It was beautiful; wish I’d had my camera and been able to take a picture.

By: Michelle Rochon

Michelle Rochon — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 00:06:06 +0000

I remember that when I was a brat, I would take the hose and make rainbows in my backyard.

There’s a waterfall not too far from here too, and it’s not rare to see rainbows in the droplets too. No matter really where you are relative to the sun, you can see them.

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 23:20:56 +0000

Only if you make me a Christmas Story lamp!

By: arensb

arensb — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 22:19:02 +0000

Iâ€™ll be at the AAS meeting in DC in January!

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!
If I bring my copy of your book, will you autograph it?

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 21:51:03 +0000

I’ll leave that for your imagination.

Sorry I missed you at Tucson, by the way; I saw on your blog you were there. But I’ll be at the AAS meeting in DC in January!

By: Star Girl

Star Girl — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 20:58:43 +0000

Well, at least when Phil figured out why he was seeing the rainbow he didnâ€™t jump out of the shower and run down the street naked shouting eureka. Or did you Phil?