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FAINT MOONBOW FROM A LAST QUARTER MOON |
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Caught this at 02.45 UT on November 19/20th from the Maghera countryside. This is the faintest lunar rainbow I have observed and photographed to date. In fact, I was shocked to see it all. The last quarter Moon in the east was not very bright at all AND it was covered by stratocumulus so it couldn't be seen. Some of it's feeble light must have been scattered through the clouds into the western sky where approaching cloud was moving in. There was no rain or drizzle although I could sense moisture in the air. The Moonbow itself had no colour so looked like a very haunting semi-white, or even pastel coloured arc of subtle beauty. It grew to almost 50% complete, pulsed in brightness, vanished, and reappeared again for five min's. The camera did detect the colour which the eye did not perceive. ISO 400, 30 sec exposure using a 28mm lens at F/2.8. Pegasus and Andromeda are to the L. M31 at top. Lacerta at centre with Cepheus to the upper R. Cygnus would be behind the cloud to the R. Although this image is far from spectacular it's unusual because it shows a moonbow produced by a last quarter Moon!
