LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No, there's no real fire and it's technically not a rainbow. But this beautiful phenomenon has been spotted in different communities in our viewing area.
Sometimes known as a "fire rainbow" for its flame-like appearance, the technical term is a circumhorizontal arc.
A circumhorizon arc lies parallel to the horizon, and according to the World Meteorologist Organization, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in the sky where cirrus clouds are present in order for the arc to be visible.
Cirrus clouds are made entirely of ice crystals and are often the first sign of an approaching warm front.
So on top of the sun needing to be a certain degree high in the sky, the ice crystals in the cirrus cloud must also be aligned perfectly to refract the sunlight.
This makes "fire rainbows" a pretty unusual sight to see.
It's a similar phenomenon to when we see a halo around the sun and/or moon.
So the next time you see clouds that are different colors, just know you're probably witnessing something that you don't see every day!
If you have any photos you'd like to share with us like this, you can post them in the Kentucky/Indiana Cloud Watchers Facebook Group or share them on our Near Me Page.
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