APOD: 2026 August 2 – A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia - NASA Science

APOD: 2026 August 2 – A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia - NASA Science

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 2 – A Fire… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia Explanation: What’s happening to this cloud? Ice crystal…

A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia

A Fire Rainbow over West Virginia | Earth ScienceWhat's happening to this cloud? Ice crystals in a distant cirrus cloud are acting like little floating prisms. Known informally as a fire rainbow for its flame-like appearance, a circumhorizon arc appears parallel to the horizon. For a circumhorizontal arc to be visible, the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high in a sky where cirrus clouds present below—in this case cirrus fibratus. The numerous, …