Rare reflection rainbow over Michigan

Beverly Ulfig captured this rainbow photo at Sands Park on Manistee Lake in Kalkaska, Michigan, on July 23, 2018. She wrote:

The entire day had a feel of rain off and on. It did rain at approximately 5:30 p.m. for about 10 minutes. But it remained somewhat cloudy. The sun appeared about 7 p.m., and then we were treated to this special occurrence.

What Beverly caught is a rare type of rainbow, called a reflection rainbow. You sometimes see one over water, as in the photo above. At the great website Atmospheric Optics, Les Cowley explains:

Sunlight reflected off the water and traveling upwards makes the reflection bow. To raindrops, the reflected light appears to come from a second sun the same angular distance below the water as the real sun is above it.

Les has a lot more to say about reflection rainbows, which you can read here.

Thank you, Beverly and Les!

Bottom line: July 23, 2018, photo of a rare reflection rainbow, captured in Michigan.