Hong Kong today (13th) is generally cloudy, with fog along the coast and occasional light rain. Some residents of Tung Chung saw a rainbow appearing over the sea for a short time at their residences at about 12:30 noon.
In Tai Po, Fanling and Tuen Mun, some residents also photographed rainbows at 4 or 5 pm.
Liang Rongwu, former assistant director of the Observatory and spokesperson of the Hong Kong Meteorological Society, pointed out that generally speaking, rainbows are only seen in the morning or evening; however, it is mid-winter, and the height of the sun today is not too high, 40 to 50 degrees above the ground (elevation angle ), the situation is similar to morning or dusk, so there is still a chance to see a rainbow at noon.
▼January 13, 2023 Winter Rainbow▼
Rainbows appeared in Hong Kong for two consecutive days. Among them, Anita Yeung, who lives in Tung Chung East Wan, took a picture of a rainbow at 11:08 am yesterday (12th), and saw it again an hour later.
Another Tung Chung resident shared photos on social platforms today, saying that at about 12:30 this afternoon, his family members looked at the seaside from their residence and saw a rainbow, which appeared for a short time.
In Tai Po, Fanling and Tuen Mun, some residents also photographed rainbows at about 4 and 5 pm respectively.
Liang Rongwu: The height of the sun is not too high in mid-winter days, similar to morning or dusk
Leung Wing-mo, former assistant director of the Observatory and spokesperson of the Hong Kong Meteorological Society, pointed out that the rainbow that everyone usually sees is formed by sunlight hitting a water point, refraction, total reflection inside the water point, and then refracting out.
If you want to see a rainbow or take pictures of a rainbow, you have to be in the direction with your back to the sun.
Liang Rongwu explained that generally speaking, rainbows are only seen in the morning or dusk, because to produce a rainbow, the light from the sun entering the water point must have a certain angle. For example, at noon, the sun's light will be refracted back to the sky, and there will be no rainbow.
However, it is mid-winter now, and the height of the sun today is not too high, 40 to 50 degrees (elevation angle) above the ground. The situation is similar to morning or dusk, so there is a chance for a rainbow to form.
▼A rainbow will appear in multiple districts on the morning of August 6, 2022▼
+10
Residents of Tung Chung have a chance to see a rainbow in winter when they look from the south to the north
Regarding the rainbow captured by residents of Tung Chung this afternoon, he added that, looking at the photo, the observer is shooting from the north, and the sun will shoot from the south to the north in winter, and the light reflected and refracted by the water point will go south. Therefore, observers looking north from the south will have a chance to see the rainbow.
When asked if the photographer was in a higher position, it would be easier to photograph the rainbow. He added that the height of the sun this afternoon is actually higher than the position in the morning or evening, due to the light from the rainbow and the light from the sun. The angle between them is fixed, and there is a chance that the rainbow may not be seen on the ground, but the chance of seeing it at a high place is relatively greater.
▼On August 16, 2022, the double rainbow reappeared after the rain▼
+2
The Rainbow Observatory predicts that the tropical cyclone in the South China Sea will move to the west of Guangdong. The United States forecasts that Hong Kong will pass south of Hong Kong twice in late autumn.
More pictures｜Continued rain today, the temperature in many districts dropped sharply by 10 degrees, and there was rain on the school day
