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Why NASA’s ‘fire rainbow’ image shows a rare cloud optics event
Key Takeaways
- NASA’s August 2 APOD features a circumhorizontal arc over West Virginia.
- The effect is caused by sunlight refracting through horizontally aligned hexagonal ice crystals.
- NASA says the Sun must be at least 58 degrees high for the arc to appear.
- The photograph was taken in 2021 near North Fork Mountain.
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DT Editorial Team··via science.nasa.gov