Earlier this month, researchers in Taiwan have witnessed what can be considered to be the longest sighting of a rainbow ever recorded, and professor Chou Kun-hsuan has said that he would like to enter the readings into the record books.
The rainbow lasted over 8 hours and 58 minutes around the Taiwanese capital of Taipei and the phenomenon was caught by the researchers and fellow students at the nearby university by coincidence as they were researching on a theory about bands of light against time.
It was amazing … It felt like a gift from the sky … It’s so rare,” Chou
The rainbow is formed by a combination of trapped monsoon air while the lack of strong winds and partial sunlight allowed the rainbow to retain its form and shape for long periods of time. This moisture then formed clouds and slight rain which just added on to the duration of the rainbow.
With the 10,000 pictures we took in our department alone, and the many more taken by others on campus and people living nearby, I’m confident we can prove to Guinness second by second that this rainbow lasted for nine hours,” Chou said.