How The Moon Creates Rainbows

Everyone loves a good rainbow, but did you know we can see them at night, too? What are moonbows and how do they work?


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Read More:
Rainbows: How They Form & How To See Them
"Sailors have long known that rainbows can be used to predict the weather. Generally speaking, showers and thunderstorms move from west to east, thus verifying the old adage: 'Rainbow in morning, sailor's warning; Rainbow at night, sailor's delight.'"

Iceland: Rare 'moonbow' appears in night sky
"It was caught on camera near the small town of Stykkisholmur on Sunday evening by keen photographer Vidir Bjornsson. 'I was driving in heavy rain and so much wind and I just stopped the car because I could not believe what I was seeing,' Mr Bjornsson tells the BBC."

Moonbows Over Yosemite Waterfalls Offer Dazzling Full Moon Sight
"According to a video released by park officials this month, the time around full moons are the best time to spot nighttime moonbows, also known as lunar rainbows, over some of Yosemite's most famous waterfalls."
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Written by: Sophie Bakoledis

[likekegoings]

I have seen 2 lunar bows in the 25 years I have spent on the ocean. I'm not talking about the ones that encircle the moon but projects on the opposite horizon. The second one was as bright as an rainbow I have seen if not brighter. It was amazing!

[takeitorleaveit.]

My son and I saw a Moonbow driving in South Western Wyoming. It was mainly white, but it had shades of purple.

[jeniferalvarez]

This is so cool. I started reading a book and it’s talking about how the story told of her sister’s birth says that she was born during a moonbow. It’s a fantasy book based on Asian mythology so I assumed it was something mythology based not a real phenomenon. It’s so cool that this really happens!

[geminifiend]

I seen a lunar rainbow once when I was sailing and it was mind blowing. Didn't even know could happen at night

[philburdine]

I’ve seen moonbows at sea in the mist created by the bow wave. Really cool!

[samuelortiz]

I once saw a full moon with a light ring around it. Then a transparent, round cloud passed over it for a minute and transformed the bottom half of the ring into a full rainbow. I'll never forget how beautiful it was.

[LoveatFirstHike]

I've never seen one, that would be amazing! Especially if it happened during an aurora.

[jongininikim]

my dad and i once saw a moonbow over the ocean. we were standing on a big dune by the beach and we noticed a huge black wall of clouds coming from the ocean. you could barely see it in the dark but because the moon was shining pretty brightly from the back we could tell that clouds were coming from the ocean towards us. then suddenly this white/gray full bow appeared above the ocean. we were both puzzled for a minute and thinking "what on earth is that??" but then we came to the conclusion that it must be a rainbow. then after another second of thinking we realized that there must be a wall of rain coming towards us right now, so we made a run for it and only just made it to a nearby beach house before rain came crashing down. it was one heck of a downpour. I'll never forget that day. standing on a dune by the ocean, the stars above us, the moon shining from behind us, the dark dark ocean in front of us, the sound of the wind and the waves and then a freaking moonbow. that was my last family vacation with my dad, before he died of cancer only two months later. i'm so grateful i got to see all that with him. i miss you, dad.

[Christistruthindeed]

I was four years old and I stepped outside the apartment balcony and I seen a rainbow in the sky AT NIGHT. I'm eighteen and I questioned it all my life. It didn't look like your typical rainbow but it looked like it was just a blotch of suspended colors in the air.

[Master_Therion]

Wait, my uncle used to say moonbows were created by moonshine... that lousy drunk lied to me.

[ryanhartfiel]

I saw a moonbow in hawaii it was amazing

[exklimexklim]

My mom always told me that every time there's a rainbow is because someone farted, so every time I see one I laugh.

[ksininjah]

I've seen a triple rainbow I was so excited.

[youdonotcare]

POV: Unconnected Marketeers gets spoiled 4 years early

[lolioliol]

Another key point about Rainbows is that in order for you to see them, the sun must be behind you. Something not always done correctly in movies and games.

[unconditionalmalice]

Saw a Moonbow on the highway during the supermoon. First thing I thought of was Dio's Rainbow In The Dark.

[TheWerelf]

So if a rainbow is created with the light reflected by a cross.. we can call it crossbow?

[maui_]

Kol that quote, "EVERY KISS BEGINS WITH KAY"🥰

[plusnote]

im 16 and your show has got me so interested in astronomy and physics, that I have decided to study astrophysics for my further career, Thanks traces 😊

[WilliamTurnerMusic]

I have seen a moonbow but, since it wasn't colorful, wondered until now just what it was. At the time I thought it was a grayscale rainbow, and told no one!