A stunning inverted rainbow was recently seen near Puzhao Temple on Mount Tai, which is located in Tai'an, East China's Shandong province.

The natural phenomenon is caused by the refraction of sunlight. Unlike normal rainbows that are formed when light refracts off a raindrop, inverted rainbows are the result of the refraction of sun ray through ice crystals in the clouds that are between 6,069 to 7,620 meters in the air.

An inverted rainbow is seen near Puzhao Temple on Mount Tai, which is located in Tai’an, East China’s Shandong province. It is a rare natural phenomenon. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An inverted rainbow is seen behind the trees. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]