© Claudia Hinz
Mount Wendelstein, Bavarian Alps, Germany
Latitude: 47° 42' 10'' N
Longitude: 12° 0' 44'' E
03 January 2012 1449 (Local Time)
Camera direction: towards SW
Image P/S code: S.13.3
Image I.D.: 4839
Irisation or iridescent colours are seen in these lenticular (lens-shaped) clouds, high above the Bavarian Alps, Germany.
The iridescent colours are caused by the diffraction of light waves by very small, uniformly sized droplets or ice crystals that make up the cloud. Green and pink occur most often, and the colours are often in pastel shades. Iridescence appears on clouds in the same general direction as the Sun.
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