An unusual and very rare cloud seen in the sky of Deux-Sèvres

An unusual “rainbow” cloud appeared in the sky of Deux-Sèvres this Thursday, June 13, 2024. Before disappearing and leaving room for many questions.

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This is a very rare meteorological phenomenon. You had to have your nose turned to the sky at the right time to have a chance of seeing it.

An unusual cloud appeared in the sky of Deux-Sèvres this Thursday, June 13, 2024 between noon and two, around 1 p.m. Some residents of Parthenay had the chance and the time to be able to photograph what some call a rainbow cloud.

It is actually a iridescent cloud also called iridescent cloud .

Light diffraction

These clouds get their colors because of the ice crystals and water drops that make them up. Concretely, light waves from the sun encounter the thin and small ice crystals inside the cloud, which causes a change and light interference. As if the waves were breaking down to produce the colors of the rainbow. This is the phenomenon of light diffraction.

Less than once a year

A very rare situation to observe in Europe, which lasts only a few minutes. And which would occur less than once a year as we reported in 2020.

The “rainbow” colors of the cloud thus dissipated a few minutes after the photograph sent by our Internet user from Parthenay.