We just got back from a week of snow camping in the Sequoias, and we came across something we'd never seen before in 50 years of snow sports -- snow that sparkled in all the colors of the rainbow. Here is an example of what we saw:Is this something that you see all the time in the Far North? If so, that's just one more reason to head up to the Arctic in the winter (along with the aurora).(Sorry if this is a naive Southern Californian question, but that's who I am.)

Don't know the answer, but the picture is pretty.

I don't think so. This is the only one I've heard of:;)LS

Iv'e seen that so many times I never thought about it.So I looked it up....http://whyfiles.org/2010/why-does-snow-sometimes-sparkle/

Never seen that before, and Ive been in snow country for the last 15 yrs. And once again you visited my old back yard! Hope you guys had a good time!

Question for you snow experts: are rainbow sparkles common?

amandasgramma
Explorer
Nov 20, 2015
Yes..I've seen that. Can't explain why other than the snow is more crystalline and picks up colors. I've seen what looks like glitter falling from the sky...but never could get a good picture!!!
toedtoes
Explorer III
Nov 20, 2015
Snow is basically water crystals. If the light hits it at the right angle, the crystal will reflect the light. The different colors are simply the breaking down of the light into individual colors in the spectrum.
2lazy4U
Explorer
Nov 20, 2015
I've seen this many many times in Colorado. It's a function of the sun's angle and lack of humidity. It's not unusual at all, esp. when it's really cold (very low humidity).
jandjbaums
Explorer
Nov 20, 2015
Never seen that before, and Ive been in snow country for the last 15 yrs. And once again you visited my old back yard! Hope you guys had a good time!
Colo_Native
Explorer
Nov 20, 2015
Tinkerbell?
Fizz
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
Iv'e seen that so many times I never thought about it.

So I looked it up....http://whyfiles.org/2010/why-does-snow-sometimes-sparkle/
LenSatic
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
I don't think so. This is the only one I've heard of:

;)

LS
mrquacker
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
Don't know the answer, but the picture is pretty.