noun
fog bow; white rainbow
A meteorological phenomenon similar to a rainbow but appearing as a white arc in fog, due to very small water droplets. The reading むこう is rare and may be encountered in older or specialized texts.
山頂で珍しい霧虹を見た。
I saw a rare fog bow at the mountain summit.
霧虹は普通の虹より色が薄い。
A fog bow is paler in color than a regular rainbow.
虹 is a standard rainbow with vivid colors, while 霧虹 is a white or pale arc formed in fog.
Compound of 霧 (きり, 'fog') and 虹 (にじ, 'rainbow'). The reading むこう is a less common variant, possibly from an older or dialectal reading of the characters.