The sky at night: Stunning moonbow arches over dramatic volcanic landscape



We've all seen rainbows shimmering across the sky as the sun returns after a downpour.

But this one is a little different. It was created by light from the moon shining through cloud vapour suspended 10,000ft up the rim of a volcano in Hawaii.

As if the picture wasn't stunning enough, it also features Mars glowing fiercely against the rich blue of the Pacific night sky.

The moonbow arches over Haleakala crater on Maui Island, Hawaii, and (below) how it looks during the day

SO HOW IS A MOONBOW CREATED?



Light from the Moon shines on droplets of moisture above the volcano's crater. It is difficult for the human eye to pick out the colours and for this reason it appears white. However, the colours will appear in long-exposure photographs.

Moonbows are most easily viewed when the Moon is nearly full. They are relatively rare because they need a number of conditions to appear. The Moon must be less than 42 degrees high in a very dark sky.



The remarkable photograph of a 'moonbow' was taken by Wally Pacholka, as he looked over the Halkeakala crater on Maui Island in Hawaii.

The 61-year-old former accountant specialises in taking pictures of dramatic night skies over America's national parks. However, it wasn't easy getting this one.

'This was my seventh evening there, having hiked inside the 12-mile crater a few days back,' he said. 'I was very fortunate to see this, but in a way I created this fortune as I was always out there.'

This night-time phenomena was created not by the Sun but by light reflected off the Moon. The fog hanging above the volcano's crater acted as the white canvas.

Mars can also be seen in this dazzling image, glowing orange high in the sky (top left of image).



The planet is making one of its closest approaches to Earth and is around 60million miles away, shining brilliant red as it rises in the east on its journey across the night sky.