Circumhorizontal arc in MO
© Jennifer Madura
A viewer near Ozark, Missouri captured an uncommon sight in the sky Saturday afternoon.

Jennifer Madura submitted several photos of a rainbow-esque cloud spotted over U.S. Route 65 around 1:30 p.m. The optical phenomenon is scientifically known as a circumhorizontal arc.

The circumhorizontal arc is formed when the sunlight is refracted in plate-shaped ice crystals. Essentially, ice crystals split the sunlight into the color spectrum.

Circumhorizontal arcs are most common in high-level clouds, or cirrus clouds. The sun has to be higher than 58° in elevation in order for this phenomenon to occur.
Circumhorizontal arc over MO
© Jennifer Maduro
According to the World Meteorological Organization, in countries north or south of latitude 55°, the circumhorizontal arc cannot be seen because the sun is always lower than 58°.