Thematic Optical sky phenomena: Rainbows, halos, mirages etc

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 01-03-2011, 03:41 AM

Originally posted by Ash

Got to revive this one...

Rainbows on Rainbow Bay beach, Gold Coast:

Nice rainbow. So this place is actually called rainbow coast? I presume it is because of high frequecny of rainbows? The breaking waves produce a lot of droplets...has that got something to do with the rainbow, or is it just a rainy place?

**Ash** · 01-03-2011, 03:55 AM

Thanks Douglas, Rainbow Bay beach was once known as Snapper Rocks due to the attractive fishing there. Then sand was pumped in around the bay and it became a strategic military outpost. According to this website, Captain Henry John Rous named Rainbow Bay in 1828 after his ship, the frigate HMS Rainbow, while he was on commission to find suitable new fertile lands. So nothing to do with rainbows...

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 01-03-2011, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by Ash

Thanks Douglas, Rainbow Bay beach was once known as Snapper Rocks due to the attractive fishing there. Then sand was pumped in around the bay and it became a strategic military outpost. According to this website, Captain Henry John Rous named Rainbow Bay in 1828 after his ship, the frigate HMS Rainbow, while he was on commission to find suitable new fertile lands. So nothing to do with rainbows...

Thanks for the explanation.

Clou · 01-03-2011, 11:24 AM

Great idea - here is what I found:

Sun Dog

Volcano enhanced sunset
Thanks to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption last year.

SpecialK · 01-19-2011, 10:00 PM

Not sure if these are actually "phenomena", but they sure are weird clouds.

Morning in Ridgecrest.

Afternoon in Long Beach.

**jmschrei** · 01-20-2011, 01:56 AM

Here's a recent sun dog. I have seen a few of these through the cold weather of the past weeks.

-Joe

**Tamia** · 01-20-2011, 06:33 AM

Clou and Joe, you two got better pictures of sundogs than I managed on the first and only one I have seen this winter. A crow (only a black speck) is flying through it (left side of photo).

**Douglas_of_Sweden** · 01-20-2011, 06:58 AM

Originally posted by SpecialK

Not sure if these are actually "phenomena", but they sure are weird clouds.

Morning in Ridgecrest.

Afternoon in Long Beach.

I'd say that those lovely warm colors in the clouds probably indicate a quite high level of dust in the air, which would scatter light of different wave lengts differently. Not in the cloud, but in the dry air, so that the light that reach the cloud mainly have yellow and red part of the spectra left. 2nd shot is lovely!

The clouds in the end are first a Cumulus Congestus (yeh, all clouds have names in latin, like flowers), with a bit of thin Cirrus stratus to the left, which are probably origin from the top anvil of another Cumulus Congestus.
In the last photo you can see that the cloud top is becomming diffuse and that is because ice chrystals is forming and growing rapidly while consuming the water previously in the droplets. Then the cloud becomes a Cumulus Nimbus and rain is about to fall.

Bud · 01-29-2011, 03:27 PM

Double rainbow at sunset in the Sonoran Desert...

We almost missed the rainbow, which was behind us, because my son... literally... almost stepped on this little guy, which I believe was a juvenile Western Diamondback that came out in search of a meal after a brief desert rain.

**paulh** · 05-25-2011, 05:53 PM

Looks like this thread needs a wake-up & I don't know where else to post these so here goes. These are some before & after storm clouds from the past few days. We've had really unsettled weather & tornadoes, but made for some interesting (to me) photos. Wish I had a clearer line of sight on the sunset shots.

SpecialK · 05-25-2011, 06:05 PM

maltfalc · 05-31-2011, 07:33 PM

rob1234 · 07-12-2011, 03:16 AM

West African coastal skies

K10D, Sigma 10-20, f/8

**Just1MoreDave** · 07-12-2011, 12:34 PM - **1 Like**

I was excited to capture my first full rainbow:

I had to use a 16mm fisheye to get the whole thing in the frame - f8, 1/20, ISO 200 on a K-7. (The last time I used this lens I had SR set to 300mm. It's a lot sharper with SR set at 15mm.)

**Just1MoreDave** · 07-12-2011, 08:50 PM - **1 Like**

I'm not trying to monopolize the thread, but just a few minutes ago I got a photo with lightning. The only other time I've done this, I always had to point out the stroke to people, it was so small.

ISO 100, DA 16-45 @ 16mm, f4, 8 sec. and keep the rain off the lens.

01-19-2011, 10:00 PM	#35
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	Not sure if these are actually "phenomena", but they sure are weird clouds. Morning in Ridgecrest. Afternoon in Long Beach. Last edited by SpecialK; 05-25-2011 at 06:06 PM.

05-25-2011, 05:53 PM	#40
paulh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: DFW Texas/Ventura County, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 33,262	Looks like this thread needs a wake-up & I don't know where else to post these so here goes. These are some before & after storm clouds from the past few days. We've had really unsettled weather & tornadoes, but made for some interesting (to me) photos. Wish I had a clearer line of sight on the sunset shots. Last edited by paulh; 05-25-2011 at 06:03 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
The Asian Model Phenomena	benjikan	General Talk	5	12-11-2009 04:46 PM
halos with smc manual lenses	warpedwoof	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	10	03-17-2009 03:49 AM
Halos around lights.	hahifuheho	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	3	01-28-2009 09:51 PM
My Rainbows in NC!!	arpaagent	Post Your Photos!	9	01-08-2009 11:14 AM
halos in the o.c.	todd	Post Your Photos!	0	10-09-2008 02:15 PM

01-03-2011, 03:41 AM	#31
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ash Got to revive this one... Rainbows on Rainbow Bay beach, Gold Coast: Nice rainbow. So this place is actually called rainbow coast? I presume it is because of high frequecny of rainbows? The breaking waves produce a lot of droplets...has that got something to do with the rainbow, or is it just a rainy place?

01-03-2011, 03:55 AM	#32
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Thanks Douglas, Rainbow Bay beach was once known as Snapper Rocks due to the attractive fishing there. Then sand was pumped in around the bay and it became a strategic military outpost. According to this website, Captain Henry John Rous named Rainbow Bay in 1828 after his ship, the frigate HMS Rainbow, while he was on commission to find suitable new fertile lands. So nothing to do with rainbows...

01-03-2011, 11:21 AM	#33
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ash Thanks Douglas, Rainbow Bay beach was once known as Snapper Rocks due to the attractive fishing there. Then sand was pumped in around the bay and it became a strategic military outpost. According to this website, Captain Henry John Rous named Rainbow Bay in 1828 after his ship, the frigate HMS Rainbow, while he was on commission to find suitable new fertile lands. So nothing to do with rainbows... Thanks for the explanation.

01-03-2011, 11:24 AM	#34
Clou Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 925	Great idea - here is what I found: Sun Dog Volcano enhanced sunset Thanks to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption last year.

01-20-2011, 01:56 AM	#36
jmschrei Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Calgary, AB Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,884	Here's a recent sun dog. I have seen a few of these through the cold weather of the past weeks. -Joe

01-20-2011, 06:33 AM	#37
Tamia Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Here, there, and everywhere. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,384	Clou and Joe, you two got better pictures of sundogs than I managed on the first and only one I have seen this winter. A crow (only a black speck) is flying through it (left side of photo).

01-20-2011, 06:58 AM	#38
Douglas_of_Sweden Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stockholm Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,374 Original Poster	Originally posted by SpecialK Not sure if these are actually "phenomena", but they sure are weird clouds. Morning in Ridgecrest. Afternoon in Long Beach. I'd say that those lovely warm colors in the clouds probably indicate a quite high level of dust in the air, which would scatter light of different wave lengts differently. Not in the cloud, but in the dry air, so that the light that reach the cloud mainly have yellow and red part of the spectra left. 2nd shot is lovely! The clouds in the end are first a Cumulus Congestus (yeh, all clouds have names in latin, like flowers), with a bit of thin Cirrus stratus to the left, which are probably origin from the top anvil of another Cumulus Congestus. In the last photo you can see that the cloud top is becomming diffuse and that is because ice chrystals is forming and growing rapidly while consuming the water previously in the droplets. Then the cloud becomes a Cumulus Nimbus and rain is about to fall.

01-29-2011, 03:27 PM	#39
Bud Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ohio, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,699	Double rainbow at sunset in the Sonoran Desert... We almost missed the rainbow, which was behind us, because my son... literally... almost stepped on this little guy, which I believe was a juvenile Western Diamondback that came out in search of a meal after a brief desert rain.

05-25-2011, 06:05 PM	#41
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480

05-31-2011, 07:33 PM	#42
maltfalc Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Winnipeg Photos: Albums Posts: 396

07-12-2011, 03:16 AM	#43
rob1234 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wiltshire/Hampshire Photos: Albums Posts: 1,760	West African coastal skies K10D, Sigma 10-20, f/8

07-12-2011, 12:34 PM - 1 Like	#44
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	I was excited to capture my first full rainbow: I had to use a 16mm fisheye to get the whole thing in the frame - f8, 1/20, ISO 200 on a K-7. (The last time I used this lens I had SR set to 300mm. It's a lot sharper with SR set at 15mm.)

07-12-2011, 08:50 PM - 1 Like	#45
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	I'm not trying to monopolize the thread, but just a few minutes ago I got a photo with lightning. The only other time I've done this, I always had to point out the stroke to people, it was so small. ISO 100, DA 16-45 @ 16mm, f4, 8 sec. and keep the rain off the lens.