Fire Rainbow Captured Over West Virginia
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Fire Rainbow Captured Over West Virginia

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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on August 2, 2026, featured a striking image of a ‘fire rainbow’ observed over West Virginia. The phenomenon is caused by ice crystals in clouds refracting sunlight.

The image, part of NASA's ongoing APOD (Astronomy Picture of the Day) series, showcases an unusual atmospheric display. According to the explanation accompanying the picture, the event involves ice crystals within a cloud interacting with light.

The description states: “What’s happening to this cloud?” and further explains that the colorful arc is created by the refraction of sunlight through hexagonal ice crystals in high-altitude cirrus clouds. These crystals must be aligned properly for the rainbow effect to occur, making fire rainbows relatively rare.

The APOD series aims to share captivating images of the universe with brief explanations written by professional astronomers. The archive includes submissions and a search calendar for those interested in exploring past featured pictures.

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