Super Moonbow

November 28, 2016

Moonbow_fb

Photographer: Alex Conu
Summary Authors: Alex Conu; Jim FosterNovember 2016 Viewer's Choice
 
I had hoped to shoot last month's supermoon here on the Lofoten Islands of Norway, but unfortunately, the weather wouldn't cooperate. However, around 10:00 p.m., a huge hole in the clouds opened, and since rain was falling in the fjord near my home I decided to see if a rainbow just might be visible. To my delight a colorful moonbow could clearly be seen opposite of where the Moon would have appeared, weather permitting. A supermoon bow! Due to the brightness of the supermoon the landscape was quite bright. Thus faint colors in the bow could be observed. A long exposure time was used here to enhance the colors, but I was able to detect them with the unaided eye. Moonbows are identical to normal rainbows, the only real difference being the light source. They're considerably dimmer than most daytime rainbows; nonetheless, seeing a rainbow at night in indeed is a pleasant surprise. Note the handle of the Big Dipper above the clouds at upper right center. Photo taken on November 13, 2016.
 
Photo Details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal Length: 17mm; Aperture: ƒ/4.0; Exposure Time: 20.000 s; ISO equiv: 1250; Software: Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 (Macintosh).

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