moonbow
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of moonbow
Explanation
A moonbow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when moonlight is refracted, reflected, and dispersed through water droplets in the air. To the naked eye, it appears like a faint white or silvery arc in the night sky. A moonbow is like a regular rainbow, but because moonlight is much dimmer than sunlight, it appears fainter, and our eyes usually can't perceive the full spectrum of colors. Long-exposure photographs, however, can reveal those colors. Moonbows are relatively rare. They require a bright, full or nearly full moon that is low in a dark sky, along with rain or mist opposite the moon. Places with misty waterfalls, such as Yosemite Falls in California and Victoria Falls in Africa, are great places to see moonbows.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It really lights me up just thinking about sitting in the spray and watching this moonbow cross in front of you.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
Another, Eric Krapil, 28, from Laurel, Md., shared a full-arc moonbow photo from the night before, captured on his cellular phone.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
Anna Smits, who lives and works in the Yosemite Valley, saw her first moonbow during the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
“That was,” he continued, “the most pathetic moonbow I’ve ever seen.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
It was pale, opalescent; here shimmering with the hues of the moonbow; here dusked with violet shadow, but, for the most part, pale, opalescent.
From The Divine Adventure Volume IV by Macleod, Fiona
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
