Netizens amazed by 'rainbow cloud' in Bacolod, compare it to Northern Lights

An events photographer captured an image of a rainbow-colored cloud he spotted while on his way to a shoot in Bacolod City.

As seen on Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras Weekend," Sunday, the cloud shined in several colors like a rainbow.

Netizens compared it to the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights which appear in Arctic countries like Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

But what is this cloud exactly? According to Kuya Kim, it's an iridescent cloud and is also called fire rainbows.

It is formed through a phenomenon called diffraction, where small water droplets or ice crystals scatter light from the sun.

"'Yung sinasabing diffraction na parehas ng formation ng rainbow, by principle, 'yung processes nito is the same but the display output is different," said Engr. Mario Raymundo, Chief of PAGASA's Astronomical Publication and Planetarium Unit.

"Ang rainbow na ating nakikita is opposite the sun. Nangyayari ang cloud iridescent doon sa malapit sa source, sa sun o kaya sa moon," he added.

Kuya Kim said iridescent clouds usually occur in altocumulus, cirrocumulus, and cirrus clouds. They usually appear in the sky during the late afternoon or when the weather is hot and humid.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News