SOLVED: University of Cambridge academic weighs in to Sutton weather mystery
AFTER almost two weeks of speculation, theorising and down-right head-scratching the verdict over the mystery red streak over Sutton has finally been solved.
Sutton resident Don Beards took the photo shortly before 9pm back in July after spotting a vivid red streak shooting across the sky behind his house.
Don, who lives in The Southerns, said: “I went upstairs to the bedroom and looked out of the window towards Aldreth and saw what I thought was a comet, so I decided to snap it as quickly as I could.
“It is really hard to say what it is but it was a really deep red colour and really stood out against the clouds.”
He said the streak remained there for more than an hour before fading away.
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Since we published the story, we have received dozens of phone calls from villagers in Sutton, Haddenham and the surrounding area, with a range of possible explanations offered, including an example of an aurora and even a meteor.
After contacting the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge, however, the mystery was finally solved.
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Dr Helen Mason confirmed that the odd phenomenon was in fact a rainbow at sunset.
Dr Mason said although “quite spectacular” the streak was not one of a recent spate of aurorae that have been spotted across East Anglia, a sight more normally reserved for the far north of Scotland.
