Someday we'll find it

January 13, 2009 2:07 PM

Atmospheric Optics. Rainbows, in spray, of moonlight, in reflective paint, without sky, with spokes, twinned, reflected, in clouds, in the fog, more. Halos, horizon distortion, green flashes, pillars, near-contrails. Surface and volume shadows. Waves atop the atmosphere. Mysteries. Picture of the Day. Via. Previously. Still no unicorns.
posted by fantabulous timewaster (17 comments total)

Each and every one of those pics is evidence of the governmental-reptoid conspiracy to cover us all in toxic chemtrails. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!
posted by FatherDagon at 2:16 PM on January 13, 2009

This is one fine example of why my friends have sometimes made fun of me for always looking at the sky whenever we're walking around. Well not because of the rainbows but because I'm always craning my neck up. I love what the sky has to offer, day and night. Thanks for showing me a couple that I've not heard of before. (elliptical halo and reflected rainbows)
posted by Phantomx at 2:24 PM on January 13, 2009

Double but the site moved.
posted by aubilenon at 2:37 PM on January 13, 2009

Cool - thanks for posting this! Here's another neat atmospheric optical mystery, via APOD, yesterday.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 2:51 PM on January 13, 2009

Gravity waves create banded airglow!? That's fucking awesome!!!!!
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 3:04 PM on January 13, 2009

No thread about atmospheric optics (especially one that already has the obligatory paranoia comment in it) would be complete without

Rainbow in my Sprinkler (it's not a euphemism, it's a YouTube)
posted by yiftach at 3:23 PM on January 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Very nice site. Some of these phenomena can be very cool to see in person. I've seen some incredibly bright sundogs while skiing at Whistler, and an amazing double rainbow at Burning Man '07. Both of those were pretty impressive optical phenomena that I won't soon forget.
posted by pombe at 3:24 PM on January 13, 2009

No rainbowpuke?
posted by Rhomboid at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2009

Also:

smiling rainbow
end of the rainbow
double rainbow
right place, right time
posted by Rhomboid at 3:44 PM on January 13, 2009

Stonestock Relentless, beware mixing gravity waves with gravitational waves.

Rhomboid, your first link made me wary of the others.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:41 PM on January 13, 2009

Yeah...I think the picture from that first link Rhomboid posted must be photoshopped or something. That rainbow isn't possible, unless maybe there's a powerful light source behind the camera on the ground.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 5:49 PM on January 13, 2009

Ah, my apologies! It is not photoshopped - it is instead a circumzenithal arc, which results from refraction through ice crystals instead of water droplets, thus the strange position and angle in the sky. Neat - you learn something every day.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 5:51 PM on January 13, 2009

And I see now that f.t.'s comment referred to the puking rainbows link. Goodnight.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 5:53 PM on January 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you like these links, you should check out this book.
posted by zap rowsdower at 7:35 PM on January 13, 2009

Prettier ice crystals make prettier halos. Detailed guesses about the upper atmosphere over St. Petersburg one pretty day 300 years ago.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 8:29 PM on January 13, 2009

How big are the droplets in a fog?
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 8:32 PM on January 13, 2009

The geometry and simple beauty of nature is positively astonishing.

And I got your unicorn right here, buddy.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 10:22 AM on January 14, 2009 [1 favorite]