Can Moonlight Make a Rainbow?

A moonbow (sometimes known as a lunar rainbow) is an optical phenomenon caused when the light from the moon is refracted through water droplets in the air. The amount of light available even from the brightest full moon is far less than that produced by the sun so moonbows are incredibly faint and very rarely seen.

How rare is a lunar rainbow?

Lunar rainbows — moonbows — occur less than 10 percent as often as normal rainbows. Moonbows need a few additional conditions to form, which is why they're so rare. Although well known, rainbows themselves are not common — most places see fewer than six in a year.

Can a full moon create a rainbow?

Rainbows are most commonly seen during the daytime, but when the weather is perfect, the light from a bright full moon can create rainbows at night, a phenomenon referred to as a moonbow. The best area to spot a moonbow is on a clear night near a waterfall.