We All Know Rainbows But Have You Ever Seen a Moonbow – A Night Rainbow Lit By the Moon?

A moonbow (also known as a moon rainbow or lunar rainbow) is a rainbow produced by moonlight instead of direct sunlight. Apart from the light source, its formation is no different from that of a solar rainbow: it is created by light being reflected in water droplets in the air caused by rain or a waterfall, for example. They are always positioned on the opposite side of the sky from the Moon relative to the observer.

As noted above, moonbows are only visible for about 3 days around full moon, when viewed against a dark sky near the end of evening twilight, or before sunrise. In middle latitudes, the best time for moonbows is summer full moons, when the Moon spends more time low in the sky. In other seasons, moonbows may last only an hour. In showery weather, always look for a pale moonbow when the Moon is low and bright. You probably won't see much colors, but if you mount a camera on a tripod, you can capture the colors easily. Image credit: Terje Nesthus