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rainbow, series of concentric coloured arcs that may be seen when light from a distant source—most commonly the Sun —falls upon a collection of water drops—as in rain, spray, or fog. The rainbow is observed in the direction opposite to the Sun.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Low Sun and Water Droplets
- How Do Rainbows form?
- The Colors of The Rainbow
- Why Is A Rainbow Curved?
- What Is A Double Rainbow?
- Why Is The Area Below The Rainbow brighter?
- Alexander's Band
- Is There A Pot of Gold at The End of The Rainbow?
A rainbow can only form under the following conditions: 1. The Sun must be above the horizon and not be obscured by clouds, mountains, or other obstacles. 2. The Sun has to be quite low in the sky. If you are at the same elevation as your horizon, the Sun's altitude must be below 42° to create a rainbow that can be seen from your perspective. Solar...
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon which involves three processes: reflection, dispersion, and refraction.
This means each water droplet reflects all of the colors of the sunlight back to you. However, because it reflects and refracts each color at a slightly different angle, only one color from each droplet reaches your eyes. For example, you can only see the red light from droplets that are higher in the sky, and only the orange light from the droplet...
Technically, a rainbow is the upper half of a circle of light, which centers on the antisolar point, the point directly opposite the Sun, as seen from your perspective. The lower half of the circle, however, is usually not visible since the water droplets hit the ground before it can form. You may be able to see a circular rainbow if you have a hig...
Sometimes you can see a fainter, second rainbow appear above a rainbow. This happens when sunlight is reflected twiceinside each water droplet and directed back to you. The second rainbow is not as bright as the primary rainbow, because some of the sunlight passes through the droplet, while most of it is reflected. This means more light goes astray...
While most of the sunlight is concentrated at an angle of 40-42°, some of it is also reflected in the range of 0-39°. Crucially, the angle also determines the extent to which the sunlight is dispersed and refracted. For example, a ray of light that is reflected at 0°—right back where it came from—is not dispersed or refracted at all. For this reaso...
The physical properties of the water droplet prevent the sunlight from being reflected at angles above 42°. For example, it is impossible for a horizontal beam of light to be reflected at an angle of 90° and sent straight down toward the ground. While this maximum reflective angle is a little different for each wavelength (color), ranging from 40° ...
According to an Irish legend, a pot of gold can be found at a rainbow's end. We probably all agree this is highly unlikely, but did you know it is possible to actually disprove that claim? In fact, you have probably been at the end of the rainbow many times without noticing! To check the veracity of the pot-of-gold-legend, you need to go to the loc...
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. [1] The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. [2]
Oct 19, 2023 · A rainbow is a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets. The most familiar type rainbow is produced when sunlight strikes raindrops in front of a viewer at a precise angle (42 degrees). Rainbows can also be viewed around fog, sea spray, or waterfalls.
3 days ago · So, what the heck IS a rainbow? Can you name the colors of the rainbow in order? Can you get to the end of a rainbow? Find fun, fascinating facts about rainbows!
Mar 15, 2011 · A rainbow is simply a group of circular or nearly circular arcs of color that appear as a huge arch in the heavens. The raindrops act like miniature prisms, refracting or breaking sunlight into...
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How Rainbows Are Made. A rainbow can form when both sunshine and water droplets are in the sky. Sunlight is white light, which is a mixture of all visible colors. As sunlight passes through the water droplets, it is bent and split into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You might be able to see a faint second ...
