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Astronomy Picture of the Day
NASA ^ | 6/10/08 | Paul Gitto

Posted on 06/10/2008 2:26:09 PM PDT by sig226


A Fire Rainbow Over New Jersey
Credit & Copyright:
Paul Gitto (Arcturus Observatory)

Explanation: What is that inverted rainbow in the sky? Sometimes known as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a circumhorizon arc is created by ice, not fire. For a circumhorizon arc to be visible, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where cirrus clouds are present. Furthermore, the numerous, flat, hexagonal ice-crystals that compose the cirrus cloud must be aligned horizontally to properly refract sunlight like a single gigantic prism. Therefore, circumhorizon arcs are quite unusual to see. Pictured above, however, a rare fire rainbow was captured above trees in Whiting, New Jersey, USA in late May.


TOPICS: Astronomy Picture of the Day
KEYWORDS: apod

1 posted on 06/10/2008 2:26:10 PM PDT by sig226
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To: fnord; Number57; KevinDavis; rdb3; MNJohnnie; thoughtomator; RightWhale; proudofthesouth; ...

2 posted on 06/10/2008 2:27:04 PM PDT by sig226 (Real power is not the ability to destroy an enemy. It is the willingness to do it.)
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To: sig226

This is the picture my wife took on our front doorstep June 5th in Boise, ID. She left the landscape off because my neighborhood isn't pretty.

3 posted on 06/10/2008 2:40:19 PM PDT by Domandred (McCain's 'R' is a typo that has never been corrected)
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To: sig226

Cool, I have never seen one of those.


4 posted on 06/10/2008 3:55:31 PM PDT by meanie monster
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To: Domandred

Excellent!


5 posted on 06/10/2008 4:02:56 PM PDT by RightWhale (We see the polygons)
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To: sig226
Sometimes known as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance

breathtaking...
6 posted on 06/10/2008 5:03:06 PM PDT by SouthDixie (We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly.)
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