Discover the cosmosEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation:What’s happening to this cloud?
Ice crystals in a distant cirrus cloud are acting like little floatingprisms.
Known informally as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, acircumhorizon arcappears parallel to the horizon.
For acircumhorizontal arcto be visible, the Sunmust be at least 58 degrees high in a sky wherecirrus cloudspresent below — in this casecirrus fibratus.
The numerous, flat, hexagonal ice-crystalsthat compose thecirrus cloudmust bealigned horizontallyto properlyrefract sunlightin a collectively similar manner.
Therefore, circumhorizontalarcsaresomewhat unusualto see.
Thefeatured fire rainbowwas photographed in 2021 near North Fork MountaininWest Virginia,USA.
Tomorrow’s picture:open space