Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

An almost full moon, a bolt of lighting and iridescent clouds, one photographer in Singapore got it all with a single click of the shutter.

Iridescent clouds

The photo was shot by Kevin Law in 2019 who uploaded it onto a nature-loving Facebook group "CloudSpotting & SkySpotting Singapore" recently, with the caption: three-in-one.

Since the upload on Sep. 18, 2021, the photo has amassed over 3,000 likes and won praises from fellow group members.

Speaking to Mothership, Law said that the now viral photo was shot two years ago on the dawn of May 19, 2019.

A happy coincidence, Law said he was woken up by the thunder.

It was then when he realised the "very obvious" iridescent clouds, cast against a backdrop of stormy clouds and a near full moon.

Instead of going back to bed (like most of us would be at 6:10 am), Law, who is an avid lightning photographer, whipped out his camera to capture the spectacle.

Here's another one of Law's lightning photos, captured in May 2020:

Here's yet another stunning shot by Law captured during day time:

How does cloud iridescence happen?

The cloud iridescence captured in Law's photo is likely due to light being diffracted around tiny ice crystal or water droplets near a thin layer of cloud.

This usually happens when a cloud is in its development stage, where new clouds that are forming produce the most vivid and vibrant iridescence.

The light ray will have to hit the cloud at just the right angle to pass through a few small and uniformly sized droplets in order for diffraction to occur and scatter the ray into the different colours of the rainbow.

The rare phenomenon typically accompanies thunderstorms, usually during the late afternoon on particularly hot and humid days.

In Singapore, iridescent clouds had been sighted on a few occasions but typically during day time.

More iridescent clouds in Singapore:

Top image from Kevin Law/Facebook