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.
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
“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
“That was,” he continued, “the most pathetic moonbow I’ve ever seen.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
There, he said, a corner of the moonbow begins.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024
A pearl light with misty shimmer Went dancing about them all, As the dyes of the moonbow glimmer On a trembling waterfall.
From AE in the Irish Theosophist by Russell, George William
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.
