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  1. Fog bow - Wikipedia

    A fog bow, sometimes called a white rainbow, [1] is a similar phenomenon to a rainbow; however, as its name suggests, it appears as a bow in fog rather than rain. [2] Because of the very small size of water droplets that cause fog—smaller than 0.05 millimeters (0.0020 in)—the fog bow has only very weak colors, with a red outer edge and ...

  2. EarthSky | Have you seen a white rainbow? That’s a fogbow!

    Feb 26, 2025 · Have you ever seen a white rainbow? These colorless rainbows also go by the name fogbow, cloudbow or ghost rainbow. Just as rainbows form from light bending through raindrops, fogbows form from...

  3. 7 Types of Rainbows That Remind You Nature is Awesome

    Mar 27, 2023 · For a fogbow to form, the Sun needs to be at a low angle to the existing fog in the atmosphere—about 30 to 40 degrees high. This is the reason why fogbows are most commonly spotted in the mornings and evenings, or from high vantages that place the viewer above the fog, like on a mountainside, seaside cliff, or even from an airplane.

  4. What Does It Mean When You See A Fogbow? - Nature Message

    A fogbow is a narrow bank of fog opposite the sun. It’s most common in areas where it’s often foggy. It can roll in from the ocean or slide down a hillside. Sometimes, fog will appear as a full circle in the sky. The size and shape of the fogbow depend on where you see it …

  5. Fogbow: The Rainbow's Less Glamorous Cousin - Own Your …

    Jan 20, 2025 · A fogbow is defined as a white semicircular bow that appears in the presence of fog or mist when water droplets reflect sunlight from within the fog bank. Unlike the luminous spectral colors of a rainbow, a fogbow appears primarily white due to the way microdroplets in fog reflect the sunlight.

  6. What is a fogbow? - BBC Science Focus Magazine

    A fogbow is an arc that forms over the horizon in foggy conditions, kind of like a rainbow does. When light enters a raindrop, it bends. The angle that it bends depends on its wavelength, …

  7. Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins

    May 1, 2020 · The water droplets in fog can refract sunlight into its different wavelengths and form a fogbow, similar to a rainbow. Smaller water droplets don’t separate the colors of light much, making fogbows appear a ghostly white.

  8. What is a fogbow? - BBC Weather

    Nov 23, 2016 · A fogbow is similar, in some respects, to a traditional rainbow but there are major differences. Through a process called refraction, the rays of light in a raindrop are separated out into...

  9. Fogbow - Atmospheric Optics

    Dec 16, 2024 · Fogbows are formed when sunlight encounters water droplets in the air that are smaller than raindrops. These tiny droplets diffract the light, causing it to spread out and form a wide arc in the sky.

  10. Fog bows: the science behind this beautiful white rainbow - Quartz

    Dec 2, 2016 · Rainbows usually come in a spectrum of seven colors, but on Nov. 17, UK photographer Melvin Nicholson captured the rare sight of a purely white light arch in Rannoch Moor, Scotland. It is a “fog...

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