This extraordinary phenomenon, which is seen at sunrise on the Andes, in
South America, was first witnessed by Ulloa and his companions in the
wild heaths of Pambamarca, and is thus described by him. “At day-break
the whole of the mountain was enveloped in dense clouds, which at
sunrise were dissipated, leaving behind them vapors of so extreme a
tenuity, as not to be distinguishable to the sight. At the side opposite
to that where the sun rose on the mountain, and at the distance of about
sixty yards from the spot where we were standing, the image of each of
us was seen represented as if in a mirror, and three concentric
rainbows, the last or most exterior colors of one of which touched the
first of the following one, were centered on each head. Without the
whole of them, and at an inconsiderable distance, was seen a fourth arc
purely white. They were all perpendicular to the horizon; and in
proportion as any one of us moved from one side to the other, he was
accompanied by the phenomenon, which preserved the same order and
disposition. What was, however, most remarkable, was this, that although
six or seven persons were thus standing close together, each of us saw
the phenomenon as it regarded himself, but did not perceive it in the
others. This, adds Bouguer, is a kind of apotheosis, in which each of
the spectators, seeing his head adorned with a glory formed of three or
four concentric crowns of a very vivid color, each of them presenting
varieties similar to those of the first rainbow, tranquilly enjoys the
sensible pleasure of reflecting that the brilliant garland he can not
discover in the others is destined for himself alone.”
A similar phenomenon is described by Mr. Hagarth, as having been seen by
him in Wales, on the thirteenth of February, 1780. His relation is as
follows. “In ascending, at Rhealt, the mountain which forms the eastern
boundary of the vale of Clwyd, (in Denbighshire,) I observed a rare and
curious phenomenon. In the road above me, I was struck with the peculiar
appearance of a very white, shining cloud, which lay remarkably close to
the ground. The sun was near setting, but shone extremely bright: I
walked up to the cloud, and my shadow was projected into it, its
superior part being surrounded, at some distance, by a circle of various
colors, whose center appeared to be near the situation of the eye, and
whose circumference extended to the shoulders. This circle was complete,
except what the shadow of my body intercepted. It exhibited the most
vivid colors, the red being outermost; and all of them appearing in the
same order and proportion as they are presented to the view by the
rainbow. It resembled very exactly what in pictures is termed a glory,
surrounding the heads of saints; not indeed that it exhibited the
luminous radiance that is painted close to the head, but an arch of
concentric colors placed separately and distinctly from it. As I walked
forward, this glory approached or retired, just as the inequality of the
ground shortened or lengthened my shadow. The cloud being sometimes in a
small valley below me, sometimes on the same level, or on higher ground,
the variation of the shadow and glory became extremely striking and
singular. To add to the beauty of the scene, there appeared, at a
considerable distance to the right and left, the arches of a white,
shining bow. These arches were in the form of, and broader than a
rainbow; but were not completely joined into a semicircle above, on
account of the shallowness of the cloud.”