Rainbow Cloud Spectacle over China's Inner Mongolia Region | Earth Science
A breathtaking "rainbow cloud" phenomenon graced the skies over Ergun City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on May 27, 2026, captivating locals and visitors alike. Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) is an autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia, as well as a small section with Russia (Zabaykalsky Krai).
A rainbow cloud can occur because of something called cloud iridescence. It usually happens in altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular and cirrus clouds. Iridescent clouds happen because of diffraction—a phenomenon that occurs when small water droplets or small ice crystals scatter the sun's light.
You have probably seen a rainbow before. When sunlight passes through raindrops in the sky, the light is split into the colors the rainbow. If you have the right angle, you can see the full band of rainbow stretch across the sky. Sometimes you can even see the mirror image of the band, or the full double rainbow.
This can happen because of something called cloud iridescence. It usually happens in altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular and cirrus clouds. Iridescent clouds happen because of diffraction—a phenomenon that occurs when small water droplets or small ice crystals scatter the sun's light.
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 at time. For this reason, semi-transparent clouds or clouds that are just forming are the ones most likely to have iridescence.
Duration: 44 seconds
Release Date: May 30, 2026
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