Pre-Twilight Rainbow with Anticrepuscular Ray
April 02, 2024
Photographer: Dario Giannobile
Summary Author: Dario Giannobile
This enchanting rainbow formed just before sunset off the coast of Syracuse in Sicily, late in the day on January 6, 2024. It has several peculiarities that make it particularly interesting. First of all, as it formed shortly before sunset when the ambient light was particularly yellow and orange (golden hour), the blue and violet components have nearly completely disappeared.
A second element of interest is the presence of an anti-twilight ray that cuts the rainbow in half.
Thirdly: There seems to be a chromatic component here tending towards magenta, preceding the red of the rainbow. This elusive component can possibly be detected by superposition of the primary red of the rainbow with the portion of the sky to its left, which tends to be bluer.
Finally, note the small boat on the horizon. Because on this day the atmospheric conditions were quite stable (no atmospheric inversion), the boat looks normal -- it hasn't been miraged.
Syracuse, Sicily, Coordinates: 37.0755, 15.2866
Related Links:
Rainbow Fragment over the Ocean
Atmospheric Conditions of Crepuscular and Anticrepuscular Rays