Atmospheric Optics Home     Montana Fogbow Previous Feature Next Feature Subscribe to Features on RSS Feed
Montana Fogbow imaged by James Perdue (Photography) in the remote Centennial Valley Red Rock Lakes Wildlife Refuge. Image ©James Perdue, shown with permission.

The ghostly fogbow is produced by small mist droplets compared to the large raindops that make its the colourful rainbow counterpart. The shadow of the photographer's head marks the bow centre at the antisolar point directly opposite the sun. Just inside the bow is a characteristic dark band and then a faint and broad supernumerary. Like a rainbow, the area inside the bow is bright with refracted and reflected light. Outside the bow to the right there is a fragment of very faint secondary fogbow.