Rare Weather Phenomenon 'White Rainbow' Spotted In UK Skies, Stunning Sight Leaves Onlookers Thrilled

A rare weather phenomenon known as a fogbow has been captured in parts of the UK, leaving people thrilled.

Also known as a white rainbow, the stunning occurrence was visible on Saturday in parts of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, BBC reported.

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A fogbow has some similarities to its more common relative, the rainbow. The traditional rainbow is formed through a process called refraction, when the rays of light in a raindrop are separated out into colours.

On the other hand. a fogbow forms from sunlight interacting with water droplets contained in fog, mist, or cloud.

The excited Brits took to social media to share incredible images of the rare weather phenomenon.

Saw the same #fogbow this morning on #cleymarshes @CoastalNorfolk pic.twitter.com/uA3jNW8YWl

¡ª Pinkfoot Cley (@pinkfootcley) December 18, 2021

BBC Weather forecaster Dan Holley said: "On Saturday, the low cloud and fog thinned along parts of our coast, allowing the sun to break through, while fog persisted inland. This created ideal conditions for fogbows."

Sarah Sandys-Renton who witnessed the event told Great Yarmouth Mercury that it was "the most beautiful afternoon".

A Fogbow at Dunwich Beach Suffolk #landscapephotography #weather #fogbow #beach #suffolk pic.twitter.com/BLKj042zzj

¡ª dk bristow (@darrylkb11) December 22, 2021

In November, a hiker thought he had seen a ¡°ghost¡± when he spotted a dark figure while climbing a mountain ¡ª before realizing it was actually a rare natural phenomenon.

Thomas Swallow, 39, was hiking with his friends in the Lake District in northwest England, when he was left stunned after noticing a strange "spiritual" optical illusion, The Mirror reported.

He said he was left bewildered, but then realised his eyes were playing tricks on him - and what he was seeing was his own reflection mirrored back to himself.

The incident took place on November 13 while he was on a 40-mile hike with friends.

What Thomas had seen while climbing the Great End in the Lake District was a rare optical illusion known as a Brocken spectre or Brocken bow, where a large shadow of an observer is cast onto cloud or mist.

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The term Brocken spectre was coined in 1780 in Germany, named after the mountain it was first spotted on, as per BBC.

The Brocken is the highest peak in the Harz Mountains and is often shrouded in cloud or mist.

Thomas managed to capture on his phone the incredible natural optical illusion.

"I was taken aback a little bit. It's really beautiful. It looks like a figure floating into the sky, it looks quite spiritual. It was weird, surreal and a really beautiful moment - I was looking down a gully from the summit, the sun was behind me and shining bright," Thomas was quoted as saying by The Mirror.

In the picture, a figure can be seen hovering high above the ground - as Thomas was on the peak looking over a drop when he took the picture. .

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