Ночной переполох

The English town of Skipton in Yorkshire is too far from the Arctic circle, to where it was possible to see the Northern lights. Therefore, it is easy to imagine the astonishment of its inhabitants, when the dead of night on the horizon flashed a giant arch of a rainbow. However, Tom Cade, first noticed a rainbow, I didn't believe my eyes, for returning home from the pub and not without reason, thought, apparently, had stayed there too long. However, no matter how much he pinched his ear or rubbed his fists the eyes, the mysterious glowing arch in the sky had not disappeared. Then Mr. Cade began to Bang on the doors of houses, shouting something not very intelligible about the beginning of the end of the world. When raised from bed, angry skiptons began to look out the window to chastise the offender of the peace, have been amazed not less it: in the night sky shimmered with all the colors of a real rainbow.

The next day, the city crept disturbing rumors: not everyone is a light signal, which heralded their arrival on the "flying saucer" aliens. What comes next, nobody knew, most were inclined to the worst, up to fantastic rising rents and prices in the shops due to the imminent invasion of the crowds of curious tourists from all over England, and even Europe.

To calm the raging passions, the city fathers appealed to the Royal Academy of Sciences. Received and printed in the local newspaper response was that observed in Skipton phenomenon has no relation to aliens and "flying saucers", and is a though and rare but long-known natural phenomenon of the lunar rainbow. As usual, it is called a refraction and reflection of light is not the sun, and the moon on the water droplets in the atmosphere. The rays decompose the component parts of the spectrum, causing a "heavenly illumination". The lunar rainbow was observed only when the full, bright moon, when the air is saturated with moisture brought by strong winds from the sea.

It remains to add that skeptical lucky twice. Another lunar rainbow, was registered last year in the village of Grassington, in Yorkshire, too. However, it looked far less impressive, for it was only a narrow silver arch.

Translated by «Yandex.Translator»