A rare atmospheric optical event described as a “fire rainbow” is reported to have lit up skies over West Virginia. Multiple outlets note the appearance of a fire rainbow, which is an uncommon variant of rainbow-like light produced by specific interactions between sunlight and high-altitude ice crystals. Sources describe that such phenomena do not occur regularly and require a particular combination of conditions, including the presence of the right type of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere and the correct orientation relative to incoming sunlight. The reports emphasize that the event is exceptional rather than everyday weather-related activity, and they frame it as a scientific sky spectacle explained by well-known principles of light refraction and reflection in atmospheric ice. While the exact visual details are not extensively specified across the available summaries, both accounts agree on the core points: the sighting happens in West Virginia, it is identified as a fire rainbow, and it results from a rare set of atmospheric circumstances rather than a cause like smoke or fireworks.
Rare “fire rainbow” appears over West Virginia skies
A rare atmospheric optical event described as a “fire rainbow” is reported to have lit up skies over West Virginia. Multiple outlets note the appearance of a fire rainbow, which is an uncommon variant...
- A fire rainbow is reported over West Virginia skies.
- The event is described as rare and uncommon.
- Sources attribute the effect to sunlight interacting with high-altitude ice crystals.
- The appearance requires a specific set of atmospheric conditions to occur.
- The phenomenon is presented as an optical effect, not a man-made event.
The rare occurrence takes a very special set of circumstances
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