Watch: 9-hour-long rainbow in Taiwan could break world record set in Yorkshire

A rainbow that lasted for almost nine hours over northern Taiwan is all set to create a new world record. England's Yorkshire currently holds the record for the longest-lasting rainbow with an impressive six hours. The record was set in March 1994.

On Thursday (30 November), teachers and students of the Chinese Culture University in Taipei's mountains had an amazing time when a rainbow arched over their institute's head for eight hours and 58 minutes.

"It was amazing... It felt like a gift from the sky... It's so rare!" Chou Kun-hsuan, a professor in the university's department of atmospheric sciences, said.

Chou has recorded the spectacular rainbow with the help of professor Liu Ching-huang and other students of the university.

The recordings and the pictures taken by them showed the colourful stretch lasted from 06:57 local time until 15:55. They are now gathering all the evidence to apply for the Guinness record, BBC reported.

Local media reports said that Chou and Liu were originally tracking the rainbow to prove a theory that they descend seven degrees every 30 minutes. On 27 November, they even had a preview of what was to come when they recorded a rainbow that lasted six hours.

Chou said after witnessing the rainbow for six hours, he was prepared for the next one. "After four hours, we mobilised all our students and began to notify everyone in the school to take pictures and send us pictures," he said.

The university also posted a bulletin later on the day on Thursday asking students and staff to send in any photos or videos they have of the rainbow to prove to the Guinness World Records that they had set a new world record.

"We need 'per second' photos to support this record, no matter how many of them are available," the school explained in an online statement.

Professor Chou said: "With the 10,000 pictures we took in our department alone, and the many more taken by others on campus and people living nearby, I'm confident we can prove to Guinness second by second that this rainbow lasted for nine hours."

According to reports, the conditions that made the rainbow last so long were a seasonal north-east monsoon that trapped moisture in the air, forming clouds, sunlight and a relatively slow wind speed of 2.5-5 metres per second.

Chou said such atmospheric condition are quite normal in winter in Taipei's Yangmingshan mountain range, where the campus is located. He added, "I plan to contact the Taipei City tourism department to promote this, 'you can see a nine-hour rainbow in Taipei in the winter, it's amazing! Come to Taipei!'"