Rainbow- like phenomenon Spotted In Wellington Skies
“This is different to the refraction that causes rainbows - refraction is the bending of light when it passes from one substance into another, e.g. from the air into a raindrop,” MetService said.
Wednesday 28 December 2022 | 17:10
The optical phenomenon that looks like a rainbow is actually called cloud iridescence.
Wellingtonians and those in the Wairarapa have been wowed by what looks like a horizontal rainbow in the sky today.
Many people contacted 1News about the “rainbow” this afternoon, although MetService say it’s not a rainbow at all but an optical phenomenon called cloud iridescence.
It occurs when sunlight passes through small rain or ice droplets in a cloud and causes light to spread out.
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“This is different to the refraction that causes rainbows - refraction is the bending of light when it passes from one substance into another, e.g. from the air into a raindrop,” MetService said.
Source- 1 News
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