The rainbow is horizontal on the lake

The colorful rainbow band covering the lake is an optical phenomenon formed by ice crystals that refract sunlight.

Rainbow band seen from afar.(Photo: Cessna Kutz).

Amateur photographer Cessna Kutz shares photos of a horizontal rainbow stretching across the surface of Sammamish Lake in Washington state, USA, on Facebook on March 24. Kutz takes the first wide-angle photo from the home window around 2pm local time while the second is a close-up.

According to Courtney Obergfell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle, USA, this could be a result of the fire rainbow phenomenon . "This optical phenomenon is an ice halo formed by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the atmosphere. In full form, it can appear as a horizontal rainbow-colored band below the face." Gosh, " explained Obergfell.

Rainbow glowed on the lake.(Photo: Cessna Kutz).

According to the Geography Department at Santa Barbara University, the fire rainbow appears only when the Sun is 58 degrees above the horizon. The brightly colored bands that lie parallel to the horizon form when sunlight strikes overhead clouds or mist containing flat ice crystals. When aligned with each other, the ice crystal acts as a lens that refracts light and the refractive intensity reaches its maximum when the Sun is at an angle of 68 degrees.

The popularity of a fire rainbow depends on the geographical location. In the United States, fire rainbows occur a few times a year but are more rare in areas like northern Europe. This phenomenon is not seen in countries located above 55 degrees north or 55 degrees south because the sun always rises below 58 degrees, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

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