Abstract
ON the 10th of November, a little after 4 P.M., the sun was behind a bank of thick stratus clouds, on the upper edge of which, attached to it, about 10° above the sun's position, and 15° to 20° to the north of it; I, with two other persons, observed a small irregularly-shaped cloud, about 2° in apparent diameter, which exhibited the colours of the least refrangible portion of the spectrum; commencing with the red on the south end nearest the sun, succeeded by orange, yellow, and pale greenish yellow, fading into white on the north edge, the rays being perpendicular. This appearance continued for about five minutes or upwards while we viewed it, and then faded away. Though the phenomenon appears simple, the light cloud merely refracting the sun's rays, it is not evident why the complementary colours of the more refrangible portion of the spectrum should not have been visible; and, as far as I am aware, a similar appearance has not been recorded before.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
D., G. Meteorological Phenomena. Nature 5, 203 (1872). https://doi.org/10.1038/005203a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/005203a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.