[alexander_busek]

Lens flare would be a farfetched explanation of something that was reportedly seen by eye first. I’d think the edge of cloud formations could indeed form a natural collimator for sunlight, complete with rainbow effects. It would be an fortuitous occurrence to catch it.

Yes, reportedly.

Would the edge of a cloud also be responsible for the beads of light in this image?

It looks like classic lens flare.

Regards,

[HiTech RedNeck]

The whole thing? Maybe the “lens flare” makes it look more dramatic, though. Would eyeglasses also experience the same flare?