From nighttime displays to unusual phenomena, the skies over Canada give us plenty of reasons to look up in awe. Our three-coin Sky Wonders series re-creates some of nature’s optical illusions by mixing colour and different lighting technologies. Beginning with a blacklight-activated fire rainbow, each of these three coins is a puresilver snapshot of a naturally occurring phenomenonthat is colourful, rare… and completely spellbinding.

A rainbow is welcome after any rainstorm. But in Canada, a more unusual sight in the sky is a fire rainbow... which isn't a rainbow at all! The unusual band of colours blazes across the summer sky on this coin, where our version of the optical illusion is amplified by a blacklight-activated effect.

This rare halo takes the form of a wispy, rainbow-coloured cloud or band in the sky. Unlike a true rainbow, a fire rainbow requires no rain; instead, the fair-weather phenomenon appears when the sunhangs high in the sky and the cirrus clouds align. When light passes through these high-altitude clouds, it is refracted by plate ice crystals within. These crystals act like tiny suspended prisms that produce the curious rainbow pattern seen on this coin.

Back by popular demand, a meteorological-themed 3-coin series! Subscribe today!

• GET $55 IN VALUE! When you subscribe* to the Sky Wonders series, save $15 off your third coin, plus receive free shipping. And, receive a free collector case with your first coin ($40 value).Note that this pricing is only available when you order the 3-coin subscription. Coins in your subscription include:
• Fire Rainbow (priced at $104.95)
• “Steve” (priced at $104.95)
• Light Pillars (priced at $89.95)
• SELECTIVE COLOUR! The partial use of colour keeps the focus on thephenomenon, while the landscape is brought to life by fine engraving.
• LOOK DOWN, NOT UP! The design makes you feel like you are outside looking up at the sky, but the experience is sized to fit in the palm ofyour hand.
• DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY EVERY TIME! All three coins feature a different lighting effect that best highlights each sky phenomenon.
• INCLUDES A BLACK LIGHT FLASHLIGHT! The artistry of your coin can be appreciated in any light, but viewing it under a black light (included) activates the special technology!
• LOW MINTAGE! Limited to 5,000 coins worldwide.
• 1 OZ. 99.99% PURE SILVER. Your coin is crafted from one ounce of 99.99% pure silver.
• NO GST/HST!

The sun must be high in the sky – higher than 58 degrees above the horizon – to produce a fire rainbow effect. Because of this, the phenomenon isvery rare occurrence north of the 55th parallel andsouth of the equator, although the odds of seeing one in Canada are greater during the mid-summer months.

Within the cirrus clouds, the hexagonal plate ice crystals must also be aligned with their faces parallelto the ground in order to create the rainbow-like optical illusion.

Designed by Tony Bianco, the first coin in the series features an engraved lakeside setting on a mid-summer day. Rolling hills rise up towards the colour portion of the design, where the sun hangs high inthe blue-coloured sky. Sunlight passing though the cirrus clouds produces a spectrum-coloured band known as a fire rainbow, which is enhanced by a blacklight-activated effect. The obverse features the effigyof Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

Your coins are encapsulated and presented in aRoyal Canadian Mint-branded collector case, which ships with your first coin.

Subscribe today!

* Credit card purchases only, charged upon shipment. After purchasing your first coin, you will automatically receivethe subsequent coins when they are released. Coins may not be issued in the same order as listed herein. Subscription agreement may be cancelled at your request at any time with a phone call or written notice to the Royal Canadian Mint.