Rainbow Rising

April 16, 2010

Low bow stu 1
Low bow stu 2
Photographer
: Roger Hopkins
Summary Author: Roger Hopkins

This photo sequence showing an unassuming rainbow on the rise was taken in the Mojave Desert near Lucern Valley, California on February 6, 2010. The second photo (Bottom) was snapped two or three minutes after the first one (top) – but from a flatter surface. Because the Sun was quite high in the sky when these pictures were taken, but lower than 43 degrees above the horizon, I was only able to see only the very top of this low slung bow. If the ground had been level rather than sloped, or if the Sun was just a bit higher in the sky, I  wouldn't have seen it at all. The anti-solar point was actually well beneath the surface. Note that if you’re up high on a mountain or in an aircraft, a rainbow can appear as a nearly complete circle.