Photos And Video: A Midnight Rainbow Over Iceland

A perfect combination of weather conditions, latitude and time of year created the unique phenomenon of the midnight rainbow in Iceland last night, as both video and numerous photos attest.

It’s that time of year in Iceland again: the sun is up, and it won’t be setting again until August, as countries at this latitude experience the “midnight sun” for the summer. While this can prove to be a minor annoyance for those trying to sleep, it can create some transcendental moments, such as the rare appearance of a midnight rainbow.

This video, shot last night by Örn Úlfar Sævarsson, shows how the midnight rainbow appeared on the north coast of West Reykjavík.

What does it mean??? #næturbogi pic.twitter.com/ABHgV1Gn4r

— Örn Úlfar Sævarsson (@ornulfar) July 2, 2019

Örn was apparently not the only one to notice the midnight rainbow and decide to document it. Many other Icelanders had their phones out, ready to share the magic on Instagram, including architect Harpa Heimisdóttir, who took the photo you see above. More examples include the following:

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Summer midnight in Iceland 🌈 . . . . #iceland #reykjavik #reykjavík #ísland #summer #midnight #midnightsun #midnightrainbow #night #arcticlight #66N #summernights

A post shared by Silja Ástþórsdóttir (@siljasteinu) on Jul 2, 2019 at 6:58pm PDT

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Það er fátt epískara en íslensk sumarnótt á myrkri mánu, við varðeld undir bleikum himni og fjórföldum sólareldsregnboga, með dásemdar gyðjum 🙌🏻 Þessi mána er greinilega full af töfrum, ævintýrum og óskum sem fá að rætast 🌈🌚✨ #iceland #midnightsun #midnightrainbow #newmoon #lífertuaðgrínast

A post shared by Elín Ásbjarnard Strandberg (@elinasbjarnar) on Jul 2, 2019 at 6:36pm PDT

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Not the northern lights, but definitely a first: #rainbow at #midnight ! #midnightrainbow #iceland #reykjavík #travel #rustygoesiceland #rustyontheroad #workatmidnight #ilovemyjob

A post shared by R&B.go.Iceland (@r.and.b.go.iceland) on Jul 2, 2019 at 5:25pm PDT

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Midnight rainbow #summernights #rainbow #summeriniceland #iceland #midnightrainbow #midnightmagic

A post shared by Guðlaug Björnsdóttir (@gudlaugbj) on Jul 2, 2019 at 5:20pm PDT

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#rainbow at #midnight #midnightsun #midnightrainbow

A post shared by Harpa (@harpahei) on Jul 2, 2019 at 5:02pm PDT

There are no known exact figures on how often this happens, but it’s rare enough that if you do witness a midnight rainbow, you should take a moment to enjoy it.