A ‘fire rainbow’ is seen crawling across the sky off NC’s Outer banks. What is it?
.jpeg "Cape Lookout Lighthouse is 163-feet tall and was built with a light that could be seen by mariners 15 miles out to sea, the National Park Service says.")
A weather phenomenon known as a “fire rainbow” was seen over one of the lighthouses guarding the shipwreck-laden Graveyard of the Atlantic off North Carolina.
“Fire rainbows” aren’t exactly rainbows, but the name fits. Rather than being bow-shaped, they are horizontal cracks in the sky that bleed colors — sometimes in a shape similar to flames.
Stranger still, ice crystals are required, making it all the more surprising one was seen on an Outer Banks summer day.
“Have you ever seen a horizontal rainbow?” Cape Lookout National Seashore asked in an Aug. 23 Facebook post.
“To make it happen, the Sun needs to be about 60 degrees above the horizon and there should be cirrus clouds in the sky. Cirrus clouds are formed at high levels and are mainly composed of ice crystal. ...The ice crystals have to be aligned horizontally for the light to pass through and create the horizontal rainbow.”
Those conditions aligned Friday, Aug. 23, around the haunting Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the park says. The lighthouse was built in 1859 with a light that shines 15 miles out to sea.
Fire rainbows are seen as omens by some faiths, and have been “confused with the flaming rainbow bridge of Norse mythology.”
“The fire rainbow spiritual meaning is deeply rooted in various cultures and belief systems, often symbolizing divine guidance, spiritual transformation, and a connection to the celestial realm,” Christianwebsite.com reports.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 7:32 AM with the headline "A ‘fire rainbow’ is seen crawling across the sky off NC’s Outer banks. What is it?."