This very rare phenomenon was witnessed at Glapwell Hall, in Derbyshire,
England, on the twenty-fifth of December, 1710, about eight in the
evening, with a remarkable and very unusual display of colors. The moon
had passed her full about twenty-four hours, and the evening had been
rainy; but the clouds were dispersed, and the moon then shone quite
clear. This =iris lunaris= had all the colors of the solar iris,
exceedingly beautiful and distinct, only faint in comparison with those
which are seen in the day; as must necessarily have been the case, both
from the different beams by which it was occasioned, and the disposition
of the medium. What most surprised the observer was the largeness of the
arc, which was not so much less than that of the sun, as the different
dimensions of their bodies, and their respective distances from the
earth, seemed to require; but the entireness and beauty of its colors
furnished a charming spectacle.