02
Feb
Airplane Shadow and Rainbow
This morning I was on an early Southwest Airlines flight from Raleigh, NC to Nashville, TN. I looked out the window and saw the shadow of our plane on the clouds below and a rainbow circling the shadow! It has to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I only had my Samsung i760 with me to take a picture, but it didn’t turn out too badly. I’ve cropped it and reduced it here, but otherwise left the picture untouched.
I did a little research and it appears to be called a glory. If you are interested, here are 4 references for more information on the phenomenon. Apparently it is rather common, but I had never seen it before.
- Glories – an Atmospheric Phenomenon
- Do you have a halo over your head?
- WeatherQuesting: A rainbow circle about an airplane’s shadow
- YouTube – Rainbow visible from airplane window
Enjoy!
Nice shot, Ricky! Thanks for the links. I especially enjoyed the Weather Questing pictures and information.
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:35 amIt’s a shame you only had your camera phone with you. A digital camera would have captured the scenery better. It is good that you took a souvenir, though. I guess the beauty of nature is rwally somethin, huh?
February 4th, 2008 at 8:53 amThanks for stopping by! I’m glad that you enjoyed the photo!
February 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pmSo cool~
I’ve seen that when I skydive in Australia.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:45 am