佛羅里達州驚現(xiàn)彩虹云奇觀

So-called "fire rainbows" are neither on fire nor are they rainbows, but they sure are stunning.

所謂的火焰彩云既不是火也不是彩虹，但絕對是極為壯觀的自然景象。

They are technically known as iridescent clouds, a relatively rare phenomenon caused by clouds of water droplets of nearly uniform size, according to a release by NASA. These clouds diffract, or bend, light in a similar manner, which separates out light into different wavelengths, or colors.

據(jù)美國國家航空和宇宙航行局，火焰彩云的學名叫做彩虹云，是一種非常罕見的自然現(xiàn)象，這一現(xiàn)象是由于云層中聚集了大量均勻大小的水滴而造成的。這些云層以相似的方式衍射了太陽光，然后析出不同波長的太陽光。

That makes them similar to rainbow-colored glories, which are also formed by diffraction, and also produce an oscillating pattern of colors ranging from blue to green to red to purple and back to blue again.

這使它們看起來有點像彩虹的七彩光芒，這些七彩光芒就是由于發(fā)生了衍射才形成的，而也是由于衍射現(xiàn)象才使得彩云的顏色從藍色到綠色到紅色到紫色再到綠色而變幻無窮。

The phenomenon was captured in this spectacular photo taken on Tuesday (July 31) in the clouds over South Florida.

這一奇觀于7月31日在弗羅里達南部上空被照片記錄了下來。

Although iridescent clouds have rainbow-like colors, the way light is scattered to produce them is slightly different. Rainbows are formed by refraction and reflection. Diffraction, though, involves light waves being scattered into a ring-like pattern.

盡管彩虹云具有彩虹般的光芒，但與彩虹形成的方式卻是不大一樣的。彩虹是由于發(fā)生了折射和反射現(xiàn)象而形成的。而彩虹云是由于發(fā)生了衍射現(xiàn)象才形成的。

As with other iridescent objects, like peacock feathers, the color changes depending upon one's position relative to the sun and the object.

其他的七彩物體，比如孔雀羽毛，其顏色變幻就取決于人們與太陽和該物體之間的相對位置。

Iridescence usually occurs in newly formed clouds. That appears to be the case here as well.

彩虹云通常形成于新形成的云層上。佛羅里達看到的彩虹云也是如此。