Photo by Eileen Claffey.

EarthSky Facebook friend Eileen Claffey captured this fogbow over a field in Massachusetts yesterday (September 17, 2014). She said it appeared as the fog was lifting over a field.

Fogbows and rainbows are made from the same configuration of sunlight and moisture. That is, you see a fogbow in the direction opposite the sun. But fogbows are caused by the small droplets inside a fog or cloud rather than the larger raindrops that cause rainbows.

Look for fogbows in a thin fog, when the sun is bright. You might see one when the sun breaks through a fog.

Or watch over the ocean; Eileen mentioned a lake was nearby, in the case of the fogbow shown here.

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.