Mystery in the Sky: What is the Rainbow-Shaped Cloud?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the observation of a rainbow-shaped cloud phenomenon, with participants sharing their experiences and speculations about its nature. The scope includes personal observations, potential explanations, and related atmospheric phenomena.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes seeing a rainbow-like cloud in Arizona on two consecutive days and questions its nature.
  • Another participant suggests that the phenomenon could be a "sun dog," referencing a specific atmospheric optical phenomenon.
  • A link to a Wikipedia article on parhelion is shared, possibly as a reference for further understanding.
  • Some participants discuss the visibility of the phenomenon with polarized sunglasses, indicating a potential enhancement of the effect.
  • One participant shares a personal anecdote about missing an opportunity to photograph a "sun column," expressing regret over not having working camera batteries.
  • Another participant describes witnessing a unique circular phenomenon around the moon, which expanded over time, and notes the lack of explanation for it in available resources.
  • A humorous comment is made about a conspiracy theory regarding aliens, suggesting a lighthearted approach to the discussion of unusual sky phenomena.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various interpretations of the observed phenomenon, with some proposing it as a sun dog while others share different experiences and observations. No consensus is reached on a singular explanation for the initial observation.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference different atmospheric phenomena without resolving the distinctions between them. There are mentions of personal experiences that lack photographic evidence, and some observations may depend on specific conditions or definitions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals curious about atmospheric phenomena, photography enthusiasts, or those who enjoy sharing and exploring unusual natural occurrences.

moose
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What IS this?

Yesterday I was driving home from school when I saw that in the clouds there was what seemed to look like a portion of a rainbow :confused: :confused:

I thought it was weird, so I took a picture of it while driving, with my cell phone, so it's not the best quality :redface:

Anyway, today I was driving home from school, and again, in the same exact location, it was there again! What is this?

I'm in Arizona and this was almost exactly to the West.

this is just the rainbow looking thing, click on the picture to see the full pic
http://www.twilightus.net/adam/DSC00742.JPG"

Also, today it appeared to be slightly larger with more vibrant colors.

:confused:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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moose said:
Yesterday I was driving home from school when I saw that in the clouds there was what seemed to look like a portion of a rainbow :confused: :confused:

I thought it was weird, so I took a picture of it while driving, with my cell phone, so it's not the best quality :redface:

Anyway, today I was driving home from school, and again, in the same exact location, it was there again! What is this?

I'm in Arizona and this was almost exactly to the West.

this is just the rainbow looking thing, click on the picture to see the full pic
http://www.twilightus.net/adam/DSC00742.JPG"

Also, today it appeared to be slightly larger with more vibrant colors.

:confused:

I saw that prism effect when I was driving home today! Are you sure you don't live in Knoxville?

Edit: Have you ever noticed that you can see it better with polarized sunglasses?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks yomamma!
 
It's a sun dog



http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/elements/sundog.htm
 
moose said:
I thought it was weird, so I took a picture of it while driving, with my cell phone, so it's not the best quality :redface:

Um... it wasn't the best decision either.
 
JasonRox said:
Um... it wasn't the best decision either.
I was at a red light.
 
moose said:
I was at a red light.

You did all that in 3 seconds?
 
JasonRox said:
You did all that in 3 seconds?

One button takes a picture. I pointed the cell phone in the general direction, pressed the button. Plus, the light just turned red as I was pulling up to the intersection, so I had more than 3 seconds anyway.

EDIT: Notice how in the full pic, the sun dog is not in the center at all.
 
  • #10
Moose, that is so cool! I missed my once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph a sun column. :cry: A dozen cameras, and none had working batteries.
 
  • #11
Evo, I just searched what a sun column is... That is awesome, I hope that I'll get to see one someday! Sucks about the batteries though :mad:

lol, I looked today, and there was no sun dog out to greet me :frown:
 
  • #12
moose said:
Evo, I just searched what a sun column is...
This column was incredible, I have yet to find a picture that comes close to what I saw. It was a solid hot pink column and it was almost a full inch wide (from my perspective).

You were extremely lucky to see that sundog. I envy you.

I did see another phenomena years ago. It was a circle around the moon that started as a halo just around the full moon, but as we watched, it started moving out, away from the moon, but remained a perfect circle, just growing larger and larger. It was a thin band that kept expanding out. We watched until it reached the edges of the viewable sky. I have yet to see a description of this exactly, but have found reference to a somewhat similar phenomenom caused by ice crystals in the air. It was reported on the news, but they had no explanation of it. Tons of people were calling in asking what it was. It was so many years ago, I don't believe there is any film of it. :frown:
 
  • #13
Evo said:
Tons of people were calling in asking what it was.

It was a glitch in the energy shield bubble covering the Earth by the aliens! :-p

I hope that I will see cool effects in my lifetime! Maybe we should have a thread on what weird things people have seen in the sky.
 

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