Rare Hall of Rainbows Appears After New Jersey Storm

After Hurricane Florence's remnants swept through New Jersey in 2018, photographer John Entwistle and his daughter looked up to see something most people never witness in a lifetime: a hall of rainbows lighting up the sky.

Over thirty magical minutes, at least five supernumerary rainbows faded in and out above the Jersey Shore. Entwistle captured them all in a single breathtaking shot, preserving a moment that delighted both father and daughter.

Unlike regular rainbows, supernumerary rainbows appear as extra bands of pastel colors stacked beneath the main arc. They only form under perfect conditions: when falling raindrops are all nearly the same size, typically smaller than a millimeter across.

When these uniform droplets catch sunlight just right, something remarkable happens. The light doesn't just reflect inside the raindrops. It interferes with itself, creating wave patterns similar to the ripples you'd see when tossing a stone into a pond.

This interference creates the extra colored bands that make supernumerary rainbows so special. The phenomenon can only be explained by understanding that light travels in waves, not just straight lines.

Why This Inspires

Back in the early 1800s, scientists were debating whether light was made of particles or waves. The existence of supernumerary rainbows helped settle the question, providing early evidence that light moves in waves.

Today, these rare rainbows still inspire wonder. They remind us that nature's most beautiful moments often appear when we least expect them, right after the storm has passed.

For Entwistle and his daughter, what started as a post-hurricane cleanup day turned into an unforgettable shared experience. They watched the sky transform from gray to glorious, witnessing a natural phenomenon so rare that many meteorologists never see it in person.

The perfect alignment required for this display makes it extra special. Every raindrop had to be just the right size, falling at just the right moment, with the sun positioned at just the right angle.

Sometimes the most extraordinary things happen when conditions align in ways we can't predict or control, turning an ordinary day into something magical worth sharing.