One of the unusual, fantastically beautiful and at the same time extremely rare phenomena of nature is considered a fiery rainbow. So scientists dubbed the atmospheric phenomenon - a near-horizontal (or round-horizontal) arc that appears against the background of light high- altitude clouds consisting of ice crystals. This atmospheric glow occurs spontaneously - unlike a regular rainbow, it doesn't rain before a fiery one.
Factors of the appearance of a fiery rainbow in the sky
Rare lucky people on Earth manage to observe this unique natural phenomenon. How is a fiery rainbow formed and what serves as its harbinger? One of the main factors in the occurrence of a circumhorizontal arc is geographical location - the latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres, located no further than 55 degrees from the equator. Another important condition, scientists call the presence of cirrus clouds - filamentous snow-white inhabitants of the upper layers of the troposphere, freely transmitting sunlight. The ice crystals from which cirrus clouds are formed must take a horizontal position with respect to the earth. In this case, the daylight is usually located high in the sky, ondistance of 6,000 km or more.
Mother Nature's Sophisticated Fantasy
The magic of the appearance of a stunning color shimmer in the sky is surprisingly simple. In summer, the bright glow of cirrus clouds is caused by the refraction of the sun's rays. In order for a fiery rainbow to arise, the rays of the sun must be oriented at an angle of 58 degrees with respect to the horizon. They penetrate the side wall of each hexagonal ice crystal and continue their way through its lower face. In chains consisting of frozen hexahedra, the sun's rays "run through" all the facets of the natural structure, to the last piece of ice, and "carve out" the fire. The peak of the brightness of this unusual natural phenomenon, according to meteorologists, can be observed when the sun shines on cirrus clouds at an angle of 68-69 degrees. This optical effect allows you to divide the light into spectral colors and visually obtain such an amazing phenomenon as a fiery rainbow. It can stretch over hundreds of square kilometers! Her halo is so large that the arc appears to be parallel to the horizon.
Fiery rainbow photo
Seldom can anyone resist the temptation to take their own picture of the enchantingly beautiful and mesmerizing play of light. The chance to see this natural phenomenon in some American states: Idaho, New Jersey, Texas, in the cities of Houston and Los Angeles, is significantly higher, since the bright, high-lying sun in these places can be observed more700 hours!
In European countries, suitable conditions last no more than 220-250 hours. A fiery rainbow in Russia is seen more often in the extreme south of the country. In the European part of our Motherland and in most of the Siberian region, the bright glow of cirrus clouds can be observed only from a few mountains or with binoculars from the top of a centuries-old pine tree.
