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Showing posts with the label Rainbow Clouds

Rainbow Appears To Pour Out Of Cloud

 In Falmouth, Jamaica, it seems as though a rainbow is pouring out of a cloud. The iridescent clouds are the rainbow clouds. Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomena brought on by tiny water droplets or ice crystals that scatter light on their own. When little water droplets or ice crystals of a comparable size are present in a cloud, the combined effect is seen as colors. Although often pastel, the colors may also be quite vibrant. The effect might be challenging to see when it occurs close to the sun because it is obscured by the glare of the sun. This may be overcome by blocking the sun with one's hand or hiding it behind a tree or building. Other aids are dark glasses, or observing the sky reflected in a convex mirror or in a pool of water. The result is comparable to irisation. Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomena brought on by tiny water droplets or ice crystals that scatter light on their own. Although larger ice crystals can form halos, a distinct phenomena, t