Rare Iridescent Clouds Put On Beautiful Show
DENVER (CBS4)- A rare phenomenon in the world of cloud-watching over Colorado is the appearance of "iridescent" clouds. Charles from Evergreen captured some images of the sight on Wednesday.
Iridescent clouds form when the sun is in just the right position to shine through thin altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular or cirrus clouds.
The phenomenon occurs when small water droplets or ice crystals diffract the light shining on them from the sun. Sometimes it can be just a few colors showing a vivid display. Other times it can be the entire color spectrum, depending upon where the sun is located in relation to the thinnest part of the cloud shield.
The same effect can occur in larger ice crystals on a moonlit night. In this instance, the diffracted light can show up as a halo around the moon.
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Meteorologist Dave Aguilera is a Colorado native and has been forecasting weather in the Rocky Mountain region for over 25 years! Connect with Dave on Facebook and on Twitter @DaveAgCBS.