In 2014, German photographer Birk Möbius achieved what he called "probably the most unique and spectacular" photograph of his career. Standing at an aerodrome in Taucha, Germany, he captured the exact moment a Boeing 777 cargo plane was struck by lightning—while flying directly through a rainbow.

The odds of witnessing this trifecta of aviation, atmospheric electricity, and optical phenomena in a single frame are astronomical. Yet there it was: an AeroLogic cargo jet on its routine Frankfurt-to-Leipzig route, bisecting a vivid arc of color just as a rogue lightning bolt found its target.

When Lightning Meets Aviation

Commercial aircraft are struck by lightning roughly once per year on average, or about once every 1,000 flight hours. The plane's metal fuselage acts as a Faraday cage, conducting the electrical charge safely around the exterior and out through static discharge wicks on the wings and tail.

The AeroLogic crew reported no ill effects from the strike. Modern aircraft are engineered to handle these encounters—critical systems are shielded, fuel tanks are protected, and the composite materials used in construction are designed with lightning protection in mind.

The Rainbow Element

Rainbows require precise conditions: sunlight, rain, and the observer positioned with their back to the sun. The photographer had to be in exactly the right spot at exactly the right moment.

Add a passing aircraft and a simultaneous lightning strike to that equation, and you're looking at a convergence of meteorological and photographic timing that defies calculation. Möbius had his camera ready, tracking aircraft at the aerodrome, when nature delivered this gift.

Perfect Storm of Probability

Consider what had to align:

A thunderstorm producing both rain (for the rainbow) and lightning
Sunlight breaking through at the correct angle to create a visible rainbow
An aircraft flying through the precise arc of that rainbow
A lightning strike at that exact moment
A photographer positioned, equipped, and ready to capture it

Möbius wasn't just lucky—he was prepared. Aviation photographers spend countless hours at airports and aerodromes, studying flight paths and weather patterns. But even with preparation, this shot required the universe to cooperate in a spectacular way.

The image went viral almost immediately, shared across social media and featured by outlets worldwide. It remains one of the most striking examples of nature's raw power intersecting with human technology, all preserved in a single, impossibly fortunate frame.

The plane landed safely in Leipzig. The rainbow faded. The storm moved on. But the photograph endures as a reminder that sometimes, reality delivers images more spectacular than anything we could imagine.

Related Tags