The Story Behind This Rare Photo of a White Rainbow Will Take Your Breath Away

When Melvin Nicholson took a rare photo of a white rainbow in Scotland, he knew he'd photographed something incredible. The landscape photographer, based in the UK, captured a natural phenomenon called a "fogbow," and it's something we can't believe is real.

Nicholson said he was out with a friend taking photos in an "incredibly misty" area before he took the shot. "Then the sun started to rise behind us, burning off the mist, and at that point, the fogbow appeared," he said to ABC. "I knew I had captured something fairly special when I realized how transient it was," said Nicholson.

According to NASA, the lack of colors in the rainbow is caused by a rare weather phenomenon known as a fogbow. A fogbow is different from typical rainbows because it is made up of smaller water drops that divert sunlight away from the band. The smaller water drops are able to deflect sunlight and smear out the vibrant rainbow colors you would normally see in a rainbow.

"I had never seen anything like it in my 10 years capturing landscape photos around the globe or even in my 44 years of life," said Nicholson. Thankfully, he was there to capture the stunningly beautiful photo for the rest of us to enjoy.