20 Rare Weather Events Caught Defying the Sky

Above Chongqing, a spectral blaze unfurled through cirrus clouds: red, blue, and jade flames dancing in the heavens. It’s not true fire but sunlight refracted through ice crystals aligned horizontally, creating a horizontal rainbow halo. Rarely captured, it demands perfect geometry between sun, cloud, and observer. For those few minutes, the sky itself seemed to burn with joy. The optical conditions occur only when the sun is above 58° in the sky, making the spectacle geographically rare. In ancient chronicles, such sights were seen as “sky fires,” omens of renewal rather than ruin — flame as light reborn.

the sky itself seemed to burn with joy. The optical conditions occur only when the sun is above 58° in the sky, making the spectacle geographically rare.