Rainbows don’t just appear after a rainstorm; they can form in various weather conditions where water droplets or mist interact with sunlight. Besides the common rainbow that follows a rain shower, fogbows are a lesser-known type of rainbow that forms in foggy conditions. Since fog consists of much smaller water droplets than raindrops, the resulting fogbow is typically faint and can appear white or pale. This makes fogbows harder to see compared to the more vibrant rainbows, but they still exhibit a soft, ghostly arc in the sky.

Another interesting variation of rainbows is the rainbow halo or glory, which can form around the sun or moon. This occurs when sunlight or moonlight interacts with tiny water droplets in the air or ice crystals in high-altitude clouds. Sun halos are often visible around the sun on sunny days, especially when high, thin cirrus clouds are present. Similarly, lunar rainbows (or moonbows) can occur at night when bright moonlight shines on water droplets in the air, producing a fainter, less colorful rainbow due to the lower intensity of moonlight compared to sunlight. These optical phenomena show the various ways that light, water, and atmospheric conditions can come together to create different rainbow experiences. Shutdown123