Captivating ultra-rare 'fire rainbow' causes wonder as it appears in sky over South Carolina

People on the Isle of Palms were amazed by the mirage, which appeared overheard for about an hour on Sunday

Natural beauty: This An extremely unusual 'fire rainbow' has been spotted in the sky

This beautiful image of an ethereal multi-coloured phoenix-like bird was created by an ultra-rare weather phenomeneon.

People on the Isle of Palms, in South Carolina were stunned by the mirage, which appeared overhead for about an hour on Sunday.

The incredible display was a 'fire-rainbow', or iridescent clouds, which only occur when a specific series of events coincide.

Meteorologist Justin Lock told 14 News fire rainbows can only be formed in high-level cirrus clouds made up of tiny ice crystals.

"To produce the rainbow colors the sun’s rays must enter the ice crystals at a precise angle to give the prism effect of the color spectrum," Lock said, adding the sun must be at an altitude of at least 58 degrees above the horizon.

"Again, it has to do with getting the precise angle."

The technical term for these phenomena is circumhorizontal arcs.

A similar effect can be witnessed in colorful sunsets, where high-level cirrus clouds produce many colors because of the low angle of the sun reflecting and diffracting light, producing brilliant reds, oranges and purples.

One witness said the fire rainbow reminded her of a friend who had recently passed away.