A very rare sighting had Inverness residents in awe last night as a “moonbow” appeared out of the dark November night sky.
Also known as a lunar rainbow, these anomalies occur when moonlight is refracted against water droplets in the air, creating a stunning scene.
It is very uncommon to capture a moonbow as they appear less than 10% as often as regular rainbows.
This is because moonlight, which is the sunlight reflected off the moon’s surface, isn’t very bright.
In addition, the sky must be very dark and the moon must be very low in the sky for a moonbow to be created.
So when a moonbow appeared last night across the skies of Inverness, it had social media users grabbing for their phones and camera to capture the natural wonder.
The moonbow illuminated the skies over Inverness and could be seen as far as the Black Isle on Thursday, November 10.
Here are some more social media users who were quick to grab a picture.
Moonbow in Inverness the night. Bonnie pic.twitter.com/ctSZa3tECu
— davie Balfour 💙 (@davidbalfour1) November 10, 2022
Moonbow over Hill of Fearn in the Highlands. It’s actually pitch dark out there. Photo thanks to my bro-in-law Phil Slater. Never seen one before. pic.twitter.com/rpEpzvy29r
— WestCorkBidwell (@WestCorkBidwell) November 10, 2022
Loch Ness RNLI were able to capture the moonbow as it crossed the wet and windy skies over Inverness.
Some social media users were “excited” to see the rare phenomenon in its full glory late Thursday evening.
Most of the sightings were made at around 9pm till 10pm when the moon was bright and while the weather was windy, there were few clouds in the sky.
Wow did not expect that tonight – a moonbow 🌝🌈☔️ #exciting #rare #moonbow #highlands #lodges pic.twitter.com/aj3Y36YLSl
— Ceol Mor Highland Lodges (@CeolMorLodges) November 10, 2022
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