This rainbow is actually a vapor plume released from the aircraft’s engine that has condensed and frozen, then refracted with sunlight to create its unique colors.
Indian photographer Soumyadeep Mukherjee recently shared an impressive series of photos featuring rare rainbows, capturing the attention of the online community.
An impressive series of rainbow photos taken as the airplane flew by. (Photo: Soumyadeep Mukherjee).
This rainbow is fascinating in that it appears as a colored band trailing behind the aircraft, showcasing quite unique colors.
According to Mukherjee, he initially intended to photograph the International Space Station as it passed in front of the Sun. However, the appearance of clouds obstructed that view.
Mukherjee then turned his focus to another area and happened to spot an aircraft within his field of view. “I zoomed in with my lens at a focal length of 600mm, and was amazed to see the colorful bands trailing behind the aircraft,” Mukherjee recounted.
“I couldn’t believe I almost missed it,” the photographer added. “If I hadn’t zoomed in with my camera, I wouldn’t have been able to see it with the naked eye. The color band was too small.”
Color band seen with the naked eye. (Photo: Soumyadeep Mukherjee).
According to NASA, this is actually water vapor released from the aircraft’s engine that condenses and freezes around dust particles or water vapor present in the atmosphere.
Contrail Science explains that these are also known as aerodynamic trails. They form when air pressure and temperature drop, causing water vapor to freeze into droplets of varying sizes.
When viewed against the light, these frozen droplets refract light at different wavelengths, appearing as a rainbow to the observer.
Excited by his findings, Mukherjee continued to observe the sky and captured several rainbow trails with varying colors and details.
Here is a series of rare rainbow photos taken by Soumyadeep Mukherjee:
