I saw this pic taken by a member on another forum, and had to share it here. It was taken in Fredericksburg, VA, which is on Route 95, midway between Richmond and Washington DC, and was caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ian as it dissipated up the east coast. If you look closely you can see a second rainbow above the main one. But of course the most fascinating part is the difference in the lighting within the primary rainbow, as though it forms a dome over the Earth underneath. These normally occur during sunset, as evidenced by the exterior lighting on the buildings and poles. Here is a video of one forming in Birmingham, England.
Yup. Like a Twilight Zone episode, and we're under a giant cake cover. I've never seen anything like that. I was reading about rainbows, and apparently you can improve your chances of seeing one by positioning yourself at a specific angle relative to the sun.
We camped at Cumberland Falls State Park when I was a kid and we were lucky enough to see the "moonbow". That is one of the only places in the world that has one.
Our old house was across from hwy 41 giving us a good distance of clear space to the east. We saw many rainbows, over the years, which pleased my mentally challenged middle daughter to no end. She thought they were magic!
Mary, I think they are magic too! I used to see a lot of them in Ireland. I guess because it is farther north than here and it rains a lot, but usually a soft rain.
"Double rainbows" are especially great. There's usually a very distinct one and a fainter one around it.
They are. Many people leave comments referring to the passage in Genesis where God promises to never flood the Earth again...and he leaves a rainbow.
It never occurred to me that one's location on the planet and the time of year (tilt of the Earth's axis) played a role in this, in addition to general atmospheric conditions. I wonder if a proliferation of rainbows is why the Irish had legends of a pot of gold at the their end.
Hi John, I think you have a good point about the Irish legends and the pot of gold. I did see many rainbows during the seven years I lived in Ireland. Another Irish belief is that rainbows are a blessings from heaven. One my favorite movies is called "Finian's Rainbow with Fred Astaire. Here is a video clip:
I recall Finian's Rainbow. Great movie! Regarding rainbows being a blessing from heaven...there are many Bible verses making reference to rainbows. The first reference was Genesis 9:13 – I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. (That covenant being to never again destroy all life on Earth with a flood.) The last reference I'm aware of was Revelation 10:1 – I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
Thanks for the Bible references. I never heard of them. Somehow, I missed them in my biblical readings. As typical of many Bible writings, they are profound and beautiful.
Here is another unusual and beautiful picture, this one is from Sweden, and it calls them “light pillars”. It did not say what they are caused by, but it almost looks like a nighttime rainbow in the lights.