Moonbows (Rainbows Of The Night)

[Arain007]

Moonbows (Rainbows of the Night)

This dazzling arc of color soaring across the night sky looks unreal.

But this is no fantasy or trick of the light, it is known as a moonbow, the rainbow of the night. These rare lunar rainbows can only be seen in a few places on earth.

The Yosemite National Park in California is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.

Sunlight reflects off the moon and hits the droplets spraying off the park's spectacular waterfalls.




'A lot of people don't realise that we even get rainbows at night in Yosemite,' said Steve Bumgardner who took these images as part of a new video of the spectacle. The moonbows are best seen when it is full moon and there is more light being reflected into the park.



The moonbow looks incredible in the dark sky filled with stars. If there's a full moon and the sky is clear, the moon, which is just reflected sunlight, is actually enough light to generate a rainbow at a place like Yosemite Falls.'

The remarkable spectrums of lights are best seen at the park during the spring and summer seasons.



'From the night skies and Milky Way to the full moon rising to create these lunar rainbows, the beauty here doesn't end when the sun goes down,' Mr Bumgardner said.

'You can have a unique experience 24 hours a day in Yosemite.'

'It has its own romantic sense to it,' he said. 'It's ethereal.'