A moonbow (also known as a moon rainbow or lunar rainbow) is a rainbow produced by moonlight rather than direct sunlight. Other than the difference in the light source, its formation is the same as for a solar rainbow: It is caused by the refraction of light in many water droplets, such as a rain shower or a waterfall, and is always positioned ...

Feb 17, 2025 · Moonbows are rainbows caused by the moon instead of the sun. They are rarer than rainbows because the weather and astronomical conditions have to be just right for them to appear. You’ll also see them referred to as lunar rainbow, moon rainbow, spray-bows, moonbows, lunar bow, night rainbow, or nighttime rainbow.

What is a Moonbow? It's a night rainbow around the Moon! See stunning moonbow photos, learn how moonbows are formed, and where you can see a moonbow.

Apr 3, 2025 · A “moonbow” is a naturally occurring event when moonlight is reflected off water droplets in the air around a waterfall and creates a colorful lunar rainbow.

Dec 4, 2023 · Experiencing a rainbow shining majestically before a bank of dark clouds is one of the most amazing sights on Earth. Sunlight is passing through water vapor in the atmosphere which shines in a colorful arc. But can the Moon be bright enough to cast a similar shape during the nighttime—a moonbow?

Jan 19, 2017 · Most of us have seen rainbows or even double rainbows illuminating the muggy sky after a thunderstorm, but there's a good chance you haven't seen a moonbow. The sun is not the only source of...

Moonbows or lunar rainbows are rare natural atmospheric phenomena that occur when the Moon’s light is reflected and refracted off water droplets in the air. Double Moonbows over …

A Moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow, white rainbow, lunar bow, or space rainbow) is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon rather than from direct sunlight.

Moonbows occur when light is refracted through water droplets, in exactly the same way as a rainbow. However, the main difference is the light source. A moonbow gets its light from …

The science of the moonbow, facts and images, why moonbows form and the conditions you need to be able to see one for yourself.