Hatrack River Forum: Moonbows

This is topic Moonbows in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :

As I was leaving my house shortly before dawn this morning, I saw a moonbow. The moon was full, or mostly so, and the sky was quite clear, but there was a light misty rain falling in my neighborhood.

It was the most beautiful thing. I just stood and looked at it for a bit, despite getting wet from the rain and my girls yelling at me to hurry up. The sky was mostly dark and the arc of the moonbow looked just like a rainbow, although I couldn't see the separate colors. The moon itself was quite beautiful this morning too.

I tried to take a picture, but it didn't show up. [Frown]

Sorry, I was hoping to be able to share with you folks.

Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :

I have never experienced a moonbow, so your post inspired me to do a Google search on the word. From the pictures, they truly do look amazing, and I'm sure the pictures pale in comparison to actually seeing it firsthand, so I'm a little envious of you at the moment. However, the full moon this morning was indeed something to marvel at too.

Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :

If I were to dobie this, I would start a thread called "Monobrows".

Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :

Is that the same as a unibrow? or just one eyebrow missing?

Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :

"Moonbows over Maui". Sounds like a Steve Martin/Rick Moranis spoof of Magnum PI. [Big Grin]

Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :

KarlEd

[ROFL]

Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :

I saw a sun dog a few weeks ago, that was really kind of cool too. Temps were in the single digits and snow forecast for the next few days, and I got treated to a nearly full halo around the sun. Weird thing is that a couple people at the train station said they were "freaked out" or even "scared" of it. I don't remember what the weather wizard I talked to called the moon version.

Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :

Sun dogs are about a monthly occurance here, and they're always entertaining to see (only seen a true double sun dog once though).

In terms of impressiveness, lunar halos are leagues above anything else I've seen. I suppose part of the mystique is that they aren't easily captured on film, but I'd love to have a poster of some of the ones I've seen.

Triple rainbows would be a close second to the halos though... cool things.

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

quote:
the arc of the moonbow looked just like a rainbow, although I couldn't see the separate colors.

My understanding is that this is generally true with moonbows, at least as seen by the human eye.

quote:
I tried to take a picture, but it didn't show up.

Photographing moonbows is very difficult, even with special equipment. Even when they come out, they look very different on film (more like a regular rainbow) than to the naked eye.

I read about them in Ranger Rick years ago, and have been fascinated by them ever since. Still haven't managed to see one in person yet.

Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :

quote:
Photographing moonbows is very difficult, even with special equipment. Even when they come out, they look very different on film (more like a regular rainbow) than to the naked eye.

Yes, I tried to google a picture to attach to the first post of this thread, since mine didn't come out, but all of the pictures I found looked very different from the actual moonbow.