Man Captures Photos of Iridescent Clouds in Kentucky

As I've heard it said a time or two, "If you don't like weather in Kentucky, just wait five minutes." With that comes some incredible opportunities to witness some truly remarkable sights--enough to make you pause and get your camera out--if you're quick enough. Jeff Cooper of Prospect, Kentucky recently did just that as he captured an awesome rainbow effect in the sky and shared it with the Kentucky/Indiana Cloud Watchers Facebook group.

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This is a really cool phenomenon called an "iridescent cloud" where the sky produces a shimmering effect, providing a gorgeous visual of pastel colors that resemble a rainbow, almost like an oil painting flowing seamlessly through the sky.

So, how can we see something like this ourselves? Does it take an insane amount of luck or skill? First, it is important to know that cloud iridescence does not happen all that often, and when it does, it might not last very long. From SciJinks.gov, "Cloud iridescence is relatively rare. The cloud must be thin and have lots of water droplets or ice crystals of about the same size. When that happens, the sun's rays encounter just a few droplets at a time." So, yeah, you're probably going to have to be a little lucky to catch this sight, as the elements are going to need to be just right. Because of how unpredictable the atmosphere can be and how quickly it can change, having a bit of patience and being observant will give you a greater chance at experiencing this cool rainbow cloud.

If you are fortunate enough to see one, take time to enjoy it, as the results are likely to be fantastic!