25 Sickest Photos of the Epic NYC Rainbow

Monday evening brought a breathtaking sight to New York City — a relief for a concrete jungle in the midst of a heat wave — in the form of an absolutely epic, towering double rainbow stretching over the entire city.

We’re 19 days into Pride Month, and Mother Nature seems to have found a way to celebrate. NASA’s been getting on board, with its own celestial rainbows as has Google Maps with some rainbow routes

The rainbow was visible from multiple vantage points, including Jersey City, and held out as the sky darkened from a soft pink to a deep blue. It was a fleeting sight, but luckily (and unsurprisingly) New Yorkers immediately documented it and posted it all over their social media feeds, so we can relive the glory.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service offers this explanation of how rainbows form: “It is created by refraction, total reflection, and the dispersion of light. It is visible when the sun is shining through air containing water spray or raindrops, which occurs during or immediately after a rain shower. The bow is always observed in the opposite side of the sky from the sun.”

Check out the 25 best images of the rainbow, along with some videos, below.

Hate on social media all you like, but this is what it does best. These images are a gift.