Zoe Gapper (Cloud Appreciation Society Member 44,230) spotted this cloudbow when skiing on Coronet Peak in Queenstown, New Zealand. Also known as a fogbow when forming down at ground level, a cloudbow is like a rainbow formed by droplets far, far smaller than the drops of a rain shower. As with a rainbow, sunlight shining from behind the viewer passes through the tiny cloud droplets and reflects back off their inside surfaces. But the microscopic size of cloud droplets has the effect of broadening and blurring the bow. The light effect known as diffraction produced by such tiny droplets blends together the hues you’d expect to see in a rainbow to form pale pastels or even a diffuse bow with just a hint of colour on its outer edge that is otherwise a snowy white.
In Album: Roger's Timeline Photos
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