Local residents were taken aback when they looked up to the sky and saw something resembling a rainbow, but not quite a rainbow, beneath a large dark cloud. What could this phenomenon be?
Perhaps we will never fully understand the mysterious and magical phenomena of nature.
A few days ago, residents in Haikou City (Hainan Province, China) were astonished to see a gigantic “ribbon” of vibrant colors stretching across the sky. It looked similar to a rainbow, but even the average person could tell it was not a rainbow. Beneath it was a large, dense, dark cloud that appeared threatening.
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Many Chinese netizens captured this strange sight, posting images online and commenting:
“It looks like a cross between a rainbow and a cloud.”
“It’s crazy; I felt like I was lost in another world.”
“It resembles a crown. Could this be a sign from Heaven?”
The beautiful rainbow ribbon, but beneath it is a dark cloud that looks very scary. (Photo: Newsflare).
Despite the many speculations, experts on natural phenomena later explained that this was a type of cloud known as “ribbon cloud” or “cap cloud”, scientifically referred to as pileus (which also means mushroom cap). It forms due to a drop in temperature and the condensation of moist air being pushed upward. This ribbon cloud typically appears thin and horizontal above another large cloud. When sunlight hits at the right angle, the light diffracts through the tiny droplets and ice crystals in the cloud, creating a rainbow effect.
“Rainbow ribbon” usually does not last long. (Photo: Nupook538/ Shutterstock).
Since ribbon clouds typically exist for a short time and require light to hit at the right angle to produce the rainbow effect, the phenomenon of “rainbow ribbon” as seen above is quite rare. Despite their beauty, they often signal an impending change in weather towards more severe conditions, such as strong winds or storms.
