A Full-Circle Rainbow Gives Sydney One Very Good Reason to Look Up
Take a minute for A Moment of Zen: a stunning full-circle rainbow captured above Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, October 3.
It looks almost unreal, but the science behind it is wonderfully simple. A rainbow is actually a complete circle; from the ground, we usually see only the familiar arch because the horizon and the Earth itself block the lower portion.
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A Moment of Zen: Full-Circle Rainbow
Sydney gets one of those rare views that makes you stop scrolling: a complete rainbow circle appearing above the city.
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Seeing the whole ring requires the right combination of sunlight, moisture and elevation. The National Weather Service explains that rainbows form when sunlight enters raindrops, bends, reflects inside them and exits again as separated colors. Because the droplets are round, the rainbow’s geometry is circular too.
From a sufficiently high viewpoint — such as an aircraft, tall building or elevated landscape — the horizon may no longer cut through that circle, allowing much more of it to come into view. Sydney certainly had the moisture for the moment: official observations recorded rain in the city on October 3.
So yes, the rainbow was always a circle. We just don’t usually get invited to see the whole thing.
Full-Circle Rainbow Appears Above Sydney, Australia
Dig out the full-circle rainbow moment below.
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Sources: National Weather Service; Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
