FORGET RAINBOWS – LOOK FOR MOONBOWS/LUNAR RAINBOWS
A moonbow is also commonly referred to as a lunar rainbow. A moonbow is a rare natural atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when the Moon’s light is reflected and refracted off water droplets in the air.
Moonbows are much fainter than rainbows made by the sun and often appear to be white. This is due to the smaller amount of light reflected from the surface of the moon. The light from the moon is usually too faint to be perceived by the receptors in the human eye, it is difficult for the human eye to discern colours in a moonbow. However, the colours in a moonbow do appear in long exposure photographs.
A bright moon near to its brightest phase known as a full moon is needed in order to have a chance at seeing a moonbow. It must also be raining opposite the moon, the sky must be dark and the moon must be very low in the sky (about 42º above the horizon). All these put together makes seeing a moonbow very special and rare! There are some locations around the world where moonbows occur more frequently. Most of these locations tend to have waterfalls, which create layers of mist in the air. Some of these locations include Yosemite National Park in California and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky. Victoria falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe and Waimea in Hawaii.
