Hard to believe, but this was taken at NIGHT: Stunning and rarely photographed 'Moonbow' captured over Victoria Falls

The falls are nearly a mile wide and produce perfect conditions for the rarely photographed event

By Ted Thornhill and Claire Bates

Arching over the world famous Victoria Falls this mesmeric rainbow shines in the moonlight creating a nocturnal light show.

Known as a 'Moonbow', the hypnotic phenomenon was captured under the gaze of a full moon over 'The Devils Cataract' section of the falls.

Photographer and television presenter Charlie Hamilton James travelled to Cataract Island on the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Zambia, where he managed to observe this rarely witnessed event.

Light fantastic: It's hard to believe that this photo at Victoria Falls was taken at night

Way to glow: For a Moonbow to occur you just need plenty of spray - and a full Moon

SO HOW IS A MOONBOW CREATED?

Light from the Moon shines on droplets of moisture. It is difficult for the human eye to pick out the colours and for this reason it appears white. However, the colours will appear in long-exposure photographs.

Moonbows are most easily viewed when the Moon is nearly full. They are relatively rare because they need a number of conditions to appear. The Moon must be less than 42 degrees high in a very dark sky.

'The photos of moon rainbows over The Devils Cataract are probably the first ever taken,' said 38-year-old Charlie, from the West Country.