Rainbow-coloured clouds dazzled Melbourne skies over the weekend
Iridescent clouds shimmered over Melbourne suburbs when ice crystals bent sunlight, creating an optical show that rarely gets captured on camera.
Rainbow-coloured clouds shone over Mount Waverley and Caroline Springs near Melbourne over the weekend. They are also called iridescent clouds.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed this phenomenon is not uncommon in Australia. But it happens so fast that people rarely photograph it.
The clouds form from cirrus clouds made of ice crystals. These are found in the coldest upper levels of the atmosphere.
Light bends around these ice crystals. This creates the rainbow effect, especially when all the crystals are the same size.
Smaller clouds let more sunlight pass through a single ice droplet. The colours spread into rings or waves.
Iridescent clouds differ from rainbows. Rainbows show colour bands in fixed order through both bending and reflection.
They are also different from sun dogs. Sun dogs appear as a pillar of light near the horizon.
This is caused by water crystals lower in the atmosphere.
- Sarah Scully, senior meteorologist
- Bureau expert
- Cirrus clouds with ice crystals
- Cloud type
Why it mattersUnderstanding why these fleeting clouds appear makes a beautiful natural phenomenon easier to spot and appreciate.
AustraliaAustralians in Melbourne and other regions can now recognise and photograph iridescent clouds when weather conditions align, adding to the natural sights worth watching for.
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