naure.com
NatureSurprise 5/5Difficulty 4/5Reviewed on September 13, 2026

The fire rainbow is a rare atmospheric phenomenon caused by ice crystals.

Why it is true

The fire rainbow, also called a circumhorizontal arc, has nothing to do with fire. It is an optical phenomenon caused by the refraction of light in ice crystals in cirrus clouds. It only occurs when the Sun is more than 58 degrees high.

Source: NOAA

Would you rather be asked first?

This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.

Test yourself →10-question challenge

Related facts

More in Nature

See all →