An unusual but spectacular sight, known as a fire rainbow, was spotted near Hazard, Kentucky, on Sunday.
© Michael Herald
This phenomenon, which resembles a piece of a brightly colored rainbow, is also known as a circumhorizontal arc.
The name fire rainbow comes from its bright rainbow colors and almost flame-like shape.
Unlike rainbows, circumhorizontal arcs occur from the refraction of sunlight through hexagonal, plate-shaped ice crystals when the sun is 58 degrees above the horizon and no rainfall is involved. Sunlight enters these ice crystals and splits into individual colors, like a prism.
Comment: Unusual atmospheric activity is on the increase with the exact drivers yet to be determined. One thing is for sure, in line with the phenomena witnessed above: