Bright lights in the Sky

[Silas_Sancona]

As someone who has studied weather about as long as i have all things green and leafy, i have always been fascinated by the countless ways the sky can offer up something interesting at any moment. From the look of frost on the ground at sunrise on a cold winter morning, to how menacing the sky can become while storm casing, and avoiding an approaching tornado and softball- sized Hail, there is always something worth looking up for. 

When it comes to some of the more"optical" things that appear above our heads, some, like Haloes and Rainbows are pretty common, others are rare enough that you'd have to be in the right place at the right time to observe. Some are so uncommon that witnessing such can be a lifetime event.  

While perhaps not a "once in a lifetime" event, i thought id share some pictures of one of the less common observations made last night and a couple days back right around sunset. Personally, i can't recall the last time id seen "Cloud Irridescence" on this magnitude.  The "Fire crown" you'll see is definitely a first, for me anyways. Needless to say, while still awaiting meaningful rainfall, at least recent sunsets have been living up to Arizona's reputation for some of the best. Add in a little smoke from the Cranston Fire in Southern CA filling the sky here the past 2 days and.. just makes sunsets even better..

As for the Phenomena itself, Cloud irridescence is caused by the diffraction of light upon water droplets of Ice crystals of a certain size. If the droplets / crystals are larger, you'd see a Halo, Sun Dog or Arc. Normally you only see a patch or two of colored clouds except under favorable circumstances. This happened to be one of them. 

**Due to limitations of my current camera, some of the pictures may be a little grainy. Also, only modifications made were to clear up the "haze" the camera produces, especially with pictures taken at greater distance. Current camera also likes to wash out colors also.  What you're seeing is how it was observed with my own eyes.

Taken on the 26th, a more typical look. Colors are normally brighter when the sun is at the same altitude as the clouds.


7/28/2018 "Fire Crown" created by the setting sun illuminating the higher-altitude top of a Thunderstorm forming out towards the AZ/CA border.



7/28/2018: Unusual irridescence created by low sun angle. Like the first picture taken on the 26th, vivid colors like this are more commonly seen when the sun is close to the same height as
the clouds in the sky. Personally, i think the bigger cloud looks like a Parrot Fish or Wrasse.. pretty sweet regardless..



Technicolor shadows to end the show..



-Nathan