QuickCheck: Did a large rainbow 'arch’ over an entire mountain in Sabah?

Rainbows are always a sight to behold, what more when it happens at a popular tourist destination. Recently, a video showing a rainbow “arching” over Sabah's Mount Kinabalu, appearing as though protecting the sacred mountain, went viral on social media. Did such a rare sighting really happen?

Verdict:

TRUE

Although the origin of the video is uncertain, some local dailies have credited Justin Liew for the 20-second clip that shows a glowing rainbow "arch" appearing over Mount Kinabalu in Sabah.

The video has since been shared widely across various social media platforms and “forwarded many times” via WhatsApp with netizens captivated by such a rare sighting.

Just a couple of weeks ago, heavy rain triggered at least two landslides on the state's iconic mountain.

In 2015, blue rays were seen in the skies over Mount Kinabalu, a phenomenon usually associated with areas hit by earthquakes. This occurred a week after the June 5 earthquake that shook the 13,455-foot (4,101m) mountain, claiming 18 lives, including 10 children.

Geologists describe it as a "blue brush stroke light," explaining that the generation of these lights involves the ionisation of oxygen in certain types of rocks due to high stress before, during, and after earthquakes and other seismic activities.

Photos and videos were also recorded then by villagers in Ranau living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu, with some stating that the blue rays lasted only for a short while.