When, at nearly 10pm one evening when he was visiting last weekend, David called me very enthusiastically to drop whatever I was doing and bring my camera outside, I was met with one of the most spectacular skies I've ever seen outside of the aurora borealis (which used to seem quite frequent here but which I haven't seen for many years).
I am not aware of ever before having seen a vertical rainbow nor, for that matter, a sunset rainbow either. The latter explains the former.
The following is from the Photocentric.net page on photographing rainbows.
Sunset rainbows are special [because] the sun's rays are nearly horizontal, so the top of the rainbow will be high in the sky. In fact, a sunset rainbow is the widest arc you'll ever see from the ground: almost half of the full-circle rainbow can become visible....... Sometimes only the end segment of the rainbow appears, and if you see a photo of a vertical rainbow at the horizon, you'll know it was made at sunset (or sunrise). With a little geometry work and a sun angle chart, you can tell time using a rainbow at the horizon.
As we watched the light changed altering the colours of the clouds and the rainbows and the rainbows changed composition too.
That was indeed worth dropping everything for!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen aurea borealis; I have probably never been enough far up North for that, but I imagine it is quite an experience.
The aurora borealis is one of those experiences you never forget. No pictures or films ever prepare you for the real experience.
DeleteWow! Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYes, it really was.
DeleteWOw, I have never seen anything like that before! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog and hope you will enjoy the wildlife in HK on your next visit.
I suspect that no one who lives in a city, particularly one with buildings as high and dense as those in HK, will ever see such a rainbow.
DeleteHow fascinating. I don't think I've ever seen a vertical rainbow before. Truly, nature is phenomenal, isn't it? Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is Carol. They are pretty rare I believe.
DeleteVery nice! I always feel like I've been given a gift when I see a rainbow. It's like a reminder of how small we are, and how huge nature is.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Lisa.
DeleteSpectacular. Looks like it's falling down from the sky into the sea! And I'm not sure I've ever seen a rainbow reflected in the water (sea) like that either
ReplyDeleteNo. That was a point that David made Monica and we've both lived by the sea for a large part of our lives.
DeleteThe things you'd miss if you didn't have a smoker visiting. And no, I don't mean the midges in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteToo true, my friend. And a great many things besides.
DeleteHow extraordinary. How fantastic that you had your camera and were able to get such good pictures. I have only seen the aurora borealis once, and that was from a plane. A strange experience, and the lights were quite bright. I suspect that it would be even more spectacular from the ground, because you'd get a wider view than the rather restricted view from a plane window.
ReplyDeleteWhen I've seen it (from the ground) it really takes your breath away. The colours and the shimmering movement are almost surreal.
DeleteWonderful. And weird. It looked quite odd. Lovely clear shots Geeb.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine. Looking back I think the dark sky was a significant contributor to the dramatic effect.
DeleteWith that reflection it is now clear to me what can be found at the end of the rainbow - your Hebridean Hoose! *(with you and David in it of course)
ReplyDeleteYx
Absolutely, Yvonne.
Deletewow, spectacular shots! I thought a similar thing as Monica. But I was thinking that it looked like it was raining down. Oh, how fortunate you are to live there.
ReplyDeleteI am, as you say Norma, very fortunate indeed and I try never to forget that.
DeleteThese, very much, remind me of prism rainbows :) Nice!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Heather, the very same.
DeleteI've never seen a rainbow like that before - or one reflected in the sea. A real double whammy of a shot, Graham.
ReplyDeleteThe reflection in the sea was a first for me too Pauline.
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