I’ve never encountered a Lunar rainbow. It’s not likely that you have either. Lunar rainbows, or Moonbows as they are called, only appear when certain factors combine in a certain way. Like the rainbow, the moonbow requires light and water droplets in the air. But while a rainbow is created by the direct light of the Sun, a moonbow occurs when the Sun’s light reflects off the Full Moon into a misty night.
Sighting a Moonbow
To catch sight of a moonbow, you must wait for a clear night sky and a nearly Full Moon riding low in the sky. Then turn your back to the Moon, and if there is rainfall or a waterfall ahead of you, you might be lucky enough to get a glimpse of this seldom-witnessed phenomenon.
That said… Moonbows are seldom seen because so many conditions must come together in just the right way… and to see a good one is very rare. They look exactly the same as a rainbow, except the bands of the arc are sharply defined in various shades of grey… from dark to light. Moonbows appear out of the mist on a dark night and can seem quite ghostly to the beholder, but long-exposure photography can capture a moonbow’s colors.
The video below is a photographer chasing and capturing images of moonbows in Yosemite National Park.
Note ~ There are very few places in the world where moonbows occur frequently. But some waterfalls combine with the Moon to create perfect conditions. Waterfalls like Kentucky’s Cumberland Falls, the Victoria Falls in Zambia, the falls in Yosemite National Park, or those in Waimea, Hawaii, offer the best opportunity to witness this full moon lunar delight.
Rainbow Myths and Legends
Scientists, ascribing no meaning to a rainbow or moonbow, tell us they are an “explainable optical phenomenon.” Yet, many believe there are messages in such “explainable phenomena” and that the legends and myths of our ancestors contain metaphorical truths.
The Bible tells us that the rainbow is a message of hope… God’s promise written in the sky (Genesis 9:16). While a Medieval German legend says there will be no rainbows for forty years before the end of the world. Perhaps the most famous is the Irish legend, which says a pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow. Of course, many superstitions have also been attached to the rainbow. For instance, some say it’s bad luck if a rainbow’s end meets water and good luck if both ends meet the ground. It is also said to be a lucky omen to be born on the day a rainbow appears and bad luck to look at the base of a rainbow.
The Bridge to Heaven
Many ancient cultures believed the rainbow was the bridge to heaven.
- Some North American Indians call the rainbow a “Pathway of Souls.”
- In Japan, a rainbow is called the “Floating Bridge of Heaven.”
- In Hawaii and Polynesia, myths say the rainbow is the “path to the upper world.”
- People in the Austrian Alps say righteous souls go to heaven by way of the rainbow.
- A myth in New Zealand says that dead chiefs go up a rainbow to the afterlife.
- In Greek mythology, Iris was the messenger goddess who walked the rainbow to deliver messages from the gods.
A Moonbow’s Message
What’s the message brought by a moonbow? Native Hawaiian legends say that a moonbow brings happiness. Yes, I like that. A moonbow’s message is don’t worry, be happy. Let’s all choose to fill our lives with moonbows, magic, and miracles!!!
Note: The primary image is a photograph of the Mauna Kea moonbow under the constellation Orion, taken by a team member of astronomers from the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) and Hokkaido University during the late night of November 11, 2013. (Credit: NAOJ. Photograph by Mr. Yasuto Takahashi of Hokkaido University