Dear Tom,
My 85-year-old father declares that rainbows can occur at night. Is he correct?
Diane Jacobs
Dear Diane,
In this case, father does know best. There are indeed nocturnal rainbows often called moonbows that form when the moon is bright enough to have its light reflected and refracted through water droplets. Since the moon's brightness is far less than the sun's, the colors of the moonbow are muted, often appearing white or gray instead of the rainbow's full-color spectrum. They can occur anywhere in the world but are much more common in the tropics, where isolated showers are more likely to occur with a mainly clear sky than at mid or high latitudes, where nighttime showers tend to be accompanied by an overcast. Many of our readers have reported seeing moonbows while vacationing in the Caribbean or Hawaii.
My 85-year-old father declares that rainbows can occur at night. Is he correct?
Diane Jacobs
Dear Diane,
In this case, father does know best. There are indeed nocturnal rainbows often called moonbows that form when the moon is bright enough to have its light reflected and refracted through water droplets. Since the moon's brightness is far less than the sun's, the colors of the moonbow are muted, often appearing white or gray instead of the rainbow's full-color spectrum. They can occur anywhere in the world but are much more common in the tropics, where isolated showers are more likely to occur with a mainly clear sky than at mid or high latitudes, where nighttime showers tend to be accompanied by an overcast. Many of our readers have reported seeing moonbows while vacationing in the Caribbean or Hawaii.
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