Video shows incredible nighttime rainbow form in Yosemite National Park

Rainbows can occur anywhere light and water droplets cross paths, even at night. 

A celestial light show was captured in California's Yosemite National Park recently, one of the “very few waterfall sites" in the world where moonbows − or nighttime rainbows − can consistently be seen, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times.

Both rainbows and lunar rainbows form in the same way, the only difference is the light source. 

Lunar rainbows are created when the moon’s light reflects off of water droplets suspended in air, producing a rainbow of colors wherever the light and water touch, according to The Weather Channel. The colors on display also tend to be a lot less vibrant at night because there is less light available. 

“Our moon must be nearly full in order to provide enough light for moonbows to form. Even as a full moon, our natural satellite doesn't provide nearly as much light as the sun,” according to The Weather Channel. 

The window for witnessing a moonbow at Yosemite may be closing next month, but you can see the spectacular sight in a time-lapse video below. (The season generally starts in April and ends in June.)

Watch a moonbow form at Yosemite National Park in real time

The 40-second clip shows how a moonbow forms in real time. It starts when the moon’s light “refracts, or bounces” through rain drops. The light is then separated at different angles within the raindrops, creating a prism of multiple colors, according to The Weather Channel. 

Since humans struggle to detect color at night, the light emitted by moonbows appears white to the naked eye, according to the Los Angeles Times. Photographs usually tend to be the best bet to catch a moonbow in full technicolor, newspaper reported. 

Another moonbow or moonbows will likely be visible in Yosemite from June 19 to 23, which are the next full moon dates, the paper reported.