Rare double moonbow and Northern Lights captured together on camera

Double moonbow with northern lights were spotted in northern Scotland recently. Photos taken at Durness by Andy Walker have gone viral on social media. Moonbow or the lunar rainbow is a rare optical phenomenon which is caused when the light from the moon is refracted through water droplets in the air. “The moon totally destroyed it,” a user commented.

A photographer recently captured photos of a rare moonbow and the Northern Lights together. The pictures were captured by Andy Walker. He has been clicking pictures of the Northern Lights for 10 years now but this time, it was different.

The Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis was seen in the skies of Scotland. The Northern Lights are linked to activity on the surface of the Sun.

A moonbow is a lunar rainbow which is formed when light from the moon is reflected and refracted through water droplets. The moon should be at the right angle in almost full to produce enough light to form the rainbow.

Andy, from Durness, Sutherland, captured the photos of two moonbows on Monday night. The pictures were taken using a long exposure between six to 10 seconds.

“The moonbow in particular was very unusual. It was taken with long exposure and set on a tripod. The moon was so bright. We’ve been in this house five or six years, I’ve never seen a moonbow before,” Andy told Daily Record.

He added, “There was a bit of luck involved. I was in the right place at the right time. About 10 minutes after I started taking pictures the rain stopped and it disappeared behind a cloud. It was a once in a lifetime moment.”

Netizens were mesmerised with the stunning photos. One user said, “Wow! That’s awesome!” Another wrote, “That is incredible. amazing pics! Thanks for sharing.”

Someone commented, “Wow that’s just awesome, you are very lucky, would of loved to see that!” Yet another added, “Absolutely stunning x.”