Have you ever heard of a fire rainbow? Yeah, it’s a quirky thing. We found this neat video of a fire rainbow cloud in Tennessee, and we simply COULDN’T keep it to ourselves. The science of a circumhorizontal arc (we prefer fire rainbow, but hey) is a phenomenon in itself, a startling sight created by the refraction of either sun or moonlight against plate-shaped ice crystals in the atmosphere. In case you’re wondering, yes this can happen all over the world. But catching it in Tennessee is a sight to see.

You can see some quick footage of a 2012 Tennessee fire rainbow, below:

Insane. Here are some other shots of this strange, natural phenomenon:

Wikipedia Though fairly rare, the beautiful stream of light in the sky can be seen a couple of times a summer. It depends on where you are in relation to the sun, and the time of day.

Wikipedia Scouting a fire rainbow? It’ll need to be afternoon. The likeliness of the correct light refraction necessary occurs when the sun is high in the sky, which means if you’re a morning person, you’re plumb out of luck.

Wikipedia You may find it interesting that summertime is a solid time to spot these fire rainbows, because ice formation is necessary for any type of illusion. Since the refraction occurs in cirrus clouds, it’s really not much of a problem. Blinding hot down here, chilly as all get out high in the sky.

This truly is insane…have you ever spotted a fire rainbow?

Wikipedia

Though fairly rare, the beautiful stream of light in the sky can be seen a couple of times a summer. It depends on where you are in relation to the sun, and the time of day.

Scouting a fire rainbow? It’ll need to be afternoon. The likeliness of the correct light refraction necessary occurs when the sun is high in the sky, which means if you’re a morning person, you’re plumb out of luck.

You may find it interesting that summertime is a solid time to spot these fire rainbows, because ice formation is necessary for any type of illusion. Since the refraction occurs in cirrus clouds, it’s really not much of a problem. Blinding hot down here, chilly as all get out high in the sky.

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