Iridescent clouds
Location : Top of Saddleback Mountain, Kiama, NSW, Australia
Date : 2022-05-07 11am
Photographers: 1st one - Lisa Li. Rest - Paul.
An iridescent cloud is an uncommon phenomenon, the result of diffraction ... small droplets of water or small crystals of ice individually scattering light.
If the small droplets/crystals are of similar size, their cumulative effect is seen as iridescent colours. The cloud must be optically thin, so that most rays encounter only a single droplet. Iridescence is therefore mostly seen at cloud edges or in semi-transparent clouds.
Here is another iridescent cloud I photographed 7 years ago.
Location: Gungartan Mountain, Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia
Date : 2015-03-13
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