Later that night, we took a drive up to Corbin, KY to see the Moonbow at Cumberland Falls. This phenomena occurs as the mist rises from the river in the light of a full moon. Very cool!! Thinking I might need to see these wondrous falls in the daylight. My camera isn't equipped to capture the glory of this lunar rainbow, so I've borrowed one along with some info about this rarity from the KY parks department & wikipedia with special thanks.
A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow, lunar bow or white rainbow) is a rainbow produced by the moon rather than the sun. Moonbows are relatively faint, due to the smaller amount of light from the Moon. They are always in the opposite part of the sky from the moon. It is difficult to discern colours in a moonbow because the light is usually too faint to excite the cone colour receptors in our eyes. As a result, they often appear to be white. However, the colours in a moonbow do appear in long exposure photographs. Moonbows are most easily viewed when the moon is near to full (when it is brightest). For other than those produced by waterfalls, the moon must be low in the sky (less than 42 degrees and preferably lower) and the sky must be dark. And of course there must be rain falling opposite the moon. This combination of requirements makes moonbows much more rare than rainbows produced by the sun.
Later on today, we're saying "bis spater" to the Andersons & heading west to the 2008 Annual 510 N West End Blvd Roommate Reunion in Madisonville, KY. Can't wait!
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