Lovely Low Bow Above Paris

May 19, 2016

Horizontal rainbow over les Invalides in Paris

Photographer: Bertrand Kulik
Summary Authors: Bertrand Kulik; Jim Foster

The photo above shows a colorful palette over Les Invalides in Paris, France. This is actually a rainbow; one viewed in the early afternoon hours. We're more familiar with the high arching rainbows seen around sunset such as the bow photographed by Bertrand in early February 2016. However, rainbows are nearly flat when the Sun is higher in the sky and thus may go unobserved. Note that the Sun can’t be any more than about 43 degrees above the horizon if you hope to see a rainbow after a rain shower passes by.

Photo Details: Canon EOS 7D camera; Canon 100 400 lens; 170 mm; 1/160 sec. exposure; 100 ISO.

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