Rare ‘flat rainbow’ phenomenon spotted

By Elizabeth Hunter

A rare "flat rainbow" has been spotted on the UK coastline.

The rare phenomenon was spotted by Naomi Cars, from her home above the bay in Torquay, Devon.

She had seen several rainbows that day - but this one appeared to lay flat and low over the shoreline.

Naomi quickly snapped a picture of the scene, which shows the bright rainbow appearing several feet below the clouds.

"We're really lucky to have an amazing view from our home, and we see quite a lot of rainbows - but I've never seen one like that," she said.

"We'd had four or five rainbows that day, but they weren't full rainbows.

"This one was really low to the sea.

"It was really beautiful - it was really bright as well."

While rainbows normally form high in the sky due to sunlight's refraction through raindrops, lower rainbows can be caused by refraction through sea sprays during high winds.

The Met Office said: "A rainbow actually a full circle.

"The reason we usually only see an arc is due to the ground obstructing the bottom half.

"The shape is actually determined by the angle between the sunlight, the water droplets, and your eyes. It can appear flatter because the ground gets in the way.

"A low sun angle (like during a high-noon sun) can also create a lower, flatter arc."

Naomi said she was "lucky" to get a glimpse of the rare sighting.

"I don't think I'll ever see one again!" she said.

"I think we're really lucky to live in such a beautiful area, and we're lucky that we get to see these things."