Iridescent rainbow clouds light up skies across Victoria

A stunning meteorological display lit up parts of Victoria over the weekend, as rare iridescent clouds appeared across various locations in the state. Residents in suburbs including Mount Waverley and Caroline Springs in Melbourne looked up to witness the vibrant spectacle, capturing photographs of the colorful cloud formations.

According to information reported by The Guardian, the clouds derive their distinctive rainbow appearance when sunlight is diffracted around ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. This specific optical phenomenon frequently occurs in newly formed clouds where the ice crystals are all uniform in size.

Bureau of Meteorology, or BoM, official Sarah Scully explained that people do not often notice these colorful formations because they are really fleeting. The transient nature of the spectacle means observers must look up quickly to catch the vibrant colors before they disperse or shift.

Scully also distinguished the iridescent clouds from other atmospheric displays, noting that sun dogs are a different type of optical phenomenon entirely. According to the Bureau of Meteorology expert, sun dogs occur almost like a pillar of light that is either positioned on both sides of the sun or just on one side of the sun.

Explaining the mechanics behind sun dogs, Scully stated that that is due to water crystals being in the atmosphere, and that it sits at low levels of the horizon. She added regarding the altitude that you need it to sit even lower than an iridescent cloud to observe that particular effect.