No Rain Rainbow?

McN

May not be the right place for this but figured someone here might know the answer.

I was up early this morning and it was a lovely clear morning. Sky was a pale blue and very little clouds in the sky. Just as the sun was coming up on the opposite of the sky a rainbow shape appeared. It was more pink than rainbow coloured but was shaped like an arc. Any ideas what this is called?
Thanks

Loobz

I saw this too. Very nice sunrise at the same time, noticed as soon as the sun started rising, the arc started dissappearing. I will upload a photo when I get a chance.

It may be similar to this. Except this was a sunset.

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/715/p6220360.jpg
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/787/p6220361.jpg


However only difference is that what we saw this morning was opposite to the sunrise.

Deep Easterly

McN wrote: »

May not be the right place for this but figured someone here might know the answer.

I was up early this morning and it was a lovely clear morning. Sky was a pale blue and very little clouds in the sky. Just as the sun was coming up on the opposite of the sky a rainbow shape appeared. It was more pink than rainbow coloured but was shaped like an arc. Any ideas what this is called?
Thanks

No idea what part of the country you are in but a front did move in from the west this morning so if the rising sun was in a clear slot to the east there is a good chance that the rainbow was initiated by some very light rain to your west. Although with you saying that the skies were clear it does seem odd.


I badly captured this 'pinkish' rainbow one evening last April. It came from a very light shower to my east. There was a good deal of cloud around at the time with the sun just peeping out from one very small break to the west:

Lumi

Deep Easterly wrote: »

No idea what part of the country you are in but a front did move in from the west this morning so if the rising sun was in a clear slot to the east there is a good chance that the rainbow was initiated by some very light rain to your west. Although with you saying that the skies were clear it does seem odd.


I badly captured this 'pinkish' rainbow one evening last April. It came from a very light shower to my east. There was a good deal of cloud around at the time with the sun just peeping out from one very small break to the west:

Nice image Patrick! There's a few more examples of 'red rainbows' here and the site itself has lots of rainbows in a variety of guises. Maybe McN can find an example and explaination of what he/she saw here.

McN

Loobz wrote: »

I saw this too. Very nice sunrise at the same time, noticed as soon as the sun started rising, the arc started dissappearing. I will upload a photo when I get a chance.

At least I am not going mad someone else seen it.

This is it.


Deep Easterly it looked sort of like your picture but less colours.

Perhaps the rain was on its way behind the trees.

Su Campu

McN wrote: »

At least I am not going mad someone else seen it.

This is it.


Deep Easterly it looked sort of like your picture but less colours.

Perhaps the rain was on its way behind the trees.

It's notable that

a) This happened at sunrise
b) The effect is strongest at low levels
c) There was no cloud

At sunrise, the sun's weak rays are travelling through a lot of atmosphere, and the shorter wavelengths get absorbed and refracted while the longer wavelengths get through. There is no rain, but a layer of mist or fog near the ground is enough to form this bow effect, and this effect is reduced near the top of the photo, where there is no fog present.

Incidentally, this is why streetlamps are orange sodium, and not other colours, as the longer wavelengths make it through fog, etc. and are therefore more effective for lightning up greater distances.

Popoutman

Two pointers:
That rainbow is that shape as tehre isn't any sunlight hitting the rain that is forming the rest of the rainbow - see the radial features in the shadows on the raindisk - those lines between the light and dark going from the rainbow rim to the antisolar point. If there were irregular patterns in the raindisk I would say that there wasn't any drops in those areas. As it is it looks as though there is the shadow of a cloud on the top part of the rainbow.


Sodium lights were chosen as at the time (and pretty much currently) they have amongst the best lumens per watt of any light producing method and the bulbs are pretty cheap and robust compared with the alternatives. The monochromatic nature of low-pressure sodium lights means that they will be clearer in slightly hazy conditions, and the lack of blue light in the spectrum means that the older amongst us will have much less glare. This is the reason that a lot of foglamps and the older French cars has the yellow film on the lights.

Deep Easterly

McN wrote: »

At least I am not going mad someone else seen it.

This is it.


Deep Easterly it looked sort of like your picture but less colours.

Perhaps the rain was on its way behind the trees.

I have to say that is a nice picture in itself. Not a scene I am used to waking up to each morning anyway!

Graces7

The most beautiful and dramatic thing I ever saw was a white rainbow.. years ago now on a very misty frosty morning.. drove through it several times that morning.

McN

Thanks everyone for the replies. So I guess its not a no rain rainbow;) more like a hidden rain rainbow.

up for anything

Double Rainbow

I thought I'd tuck this in here. Couldn't think where else to post them. (No rude comments please )

Northern Lights
New camera technology helps photographers to capture the Northern Lights. (Outlook, BBC World Service)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=252945&id=149887627901