Moonbow

light · moon · rainbows · water

Moonlight makes rainbows. A moonbow forms when the Moon's light bounces and bends through water droplets, just like the Sun does with regular rainbows. The moonbow always appears on the opposite side of the sky from where the Moon is.

Water droplets bend light. Whether light comes from the Sun or the Moon, water droplets bend it the same way. The droplets act like tiny mirrors and prisms, splitting the light into different colors.

Very rare and faint. Moonbows are much harder to see than regular rainbows because moonlight is much dimmer than sunlight. You need a full moon, rain falling nearby, and the Moon behind you to spot one.

Need the right conditions. For a moonbow to appear, you need a bright moon, water droplets in the air (like rain or mist), and to stand between the Moon and the water. Even then, the colors are so faint they might look like a white ghostly arc.

Colors are hidden. Moonbows create all the same colors as sunbows, but our eyes see them as colorless or whitish because moonlight is so weak. Our eyes aren't sensitive enough to pick up the faint colors at night.