Photo in the News: Rare "Rainbow" Spotted Over Idaho
It looks like a rainbow that's been set on fire, but this phenomenon is as cold as ice.
Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, this rare sight was caught on film on June 3 as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border.
The arc isn't a rainbow in the traditional sense—it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What's more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground.
When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors.
This particular arc spanned several hundred square miles of sky and lasted for about an hour, according to the London Daily Mail.
—Victoria Gilman
picture & story courtesy nationalgeographic.com/news, 6/19/06
8Then God told Noah and his sons, 9"I am making a covenant with you and your descendants, 10and with the animals you brought with you--all these birds and livestock and wild animals. 11I solemnly promise never to send another flood to kill all living creatures and destroy the earth." 12And God said, "I am giving you a sign as evidence of my eternal covenant with you and all living creatures. 13I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth. 14When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, 15and I will remember my covenant with you and with everything that lives. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy all life. 16When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." 17Then God said to Noah, "Yes, this is the sign of my covenant with all the creatures of the earth."
WHAT DOES TODAY'S SCRIPTURE TEACH US ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF A RAINBOW?
Check out the study notes from Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE:
9:8-17 Noah stepped out of the boat onto an earth devoid of human life. But God gave him a reassuring promise. This covenant had three parts: (1) Never again will a flood do such destruction; (2) as long as the earth remains, the seasons will always come as expected; (3) a rainbow will be visible when it rains as a sign to all that God will keep his promises. The earth's order and seasons are still preserved, and rainbows still remind us of God's faithfulness to his word.
Many peole think about the classic movie, THE WIZARD OF OZ, when they see a beautiful rainbow. Come on, be honest - right now you want to hum Dorothy's infamous 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.
But poor Dorothy could only hope that the "Great Oz" would fulfill her dreams and give her what she wanted.
As God's children (through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ) we can base our daily and eternal hope in the fact that our Heavenly Father always keeps His promises. We dare not treat Him as some sort of "Great Oz" who should give us what we want. But we should take heart in knowing that God is perfect, that He loves us unconditionally, that He knows what is best for us, and that we can trust Him to keep His word all the time.
The next time you see a rainbow, let God flood your mind and heart with His loving promises!
- This first application is a no-brainer: whenever you see a rainbow this summer, praise God for Who He is and for keeping His promises.
- Use a topical study Bible to look up at least ten of God's promises to His people.
- Email today's Devo to someone to encourage them, or use it as a conversation starter with someone who needs to learn God's Story.
Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG. Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.
Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.