Published 19:31 IST, September 30th 2020
'Double moonbow' with northern lights leaves people awestruck; see stunning pictures
Recently, the residents of northern Scotland witnessed the natural phenomenon of a double moonbow and Aurora with an equally rare lunar rainbow.
Recently, the residents of northern Scotland witnessed the natural phenomenon of a double moonbow and Aurora with an equally rare lunar rainbow. The images of the unique event have been widely shared and circulated by the people on social media. The spectacular phenomenon that is linked to activity on the surface of the Sun, was visible in the skies from parts of northern Scotland over the last few days. And on one day, people spotted a lunar rainbow called a ‘moonbow’ spread across the sky on a clear night.
'Double moonbow' spotted in Scotland
Photographer Andy Walker took some of the stunning images at Durness in the northwest Highlands of Scotland and shared it on Facebook. Since the time, the photographer has uploaded the picture on the social networking site, it has since been shared. on other platforms as well. While captioning the pictures on Facebook, Walker wrote, “Durness tonight. Double moonbow and Aurora. It would be a lot better if it wasn't for the bright moon! Nikon D700 with 28mm F2.8, ISO800-1600 6-10sec. Just across the road from the house!.”Moonbow or the lunar rainbow is a rare optical phenomenon which is caused when the light from the moon is refracted through water droplets in the air.
Scores of people who were awestruck after watching such an eye-appealing sight and shared their experience of seeing the pictures on Twitter. One of the users shared the picture clicked by Andy and wrote "Scotland witness rare night sky combo." Another user shared similar pictures and wrote, "Amazing double moonbow captured on camera in the Highlands." A third user called it “Absolutely beautiful" while the other wrote, “Wow! That's awesome!.”
Walker, who has been taking pictures of the Northern Lights for a decade, told Daily Record that he has never seen anything like this before. Walker, who runs a bed and breakfast in the town and works for the RAF, is used to tourists asking about seeing the Aurora Borealis since Scotland lies on the same latitude as Norway and Alaska.
“The moonbow, in particular, was very unusual. We’ve been in this house five or six years, I’ve never seen a moonbow before,” Walker told the International outlet “There was a bit of luck involved. I was in the right place at the right time. About 10 minutes after I started taking pictures the rain stopped and it disappeared behind a cloud,” he added.
Updated 19:31 IST, September 30th 2020