Photographer: Marco Meniero 

Summary Authors: Marco Meniero; Jim Foster

Shown above is a nearly complete rainbow as observed from the top of the control tower at Viterbo Airport, Italy. It was captured using a fisheye lens on December 7, 2020. When viewed from aloft, it can be seen that rainbows are circular structures, as first described by Renes Descartes almost 400 years ago. The shadow of the camera is at the center of the rainbow circle, facing the antisolar point. Note also the faint secondary bow.

Viterbo Airport (Rome), Italy Coordinates: 42.436111, 12.061667

Related Links:

Circular Rainbow over Düsseldorf, Germany

Marco’s Web-site