5 Facts About Rainbows You Need Right Now
Check out these fun and fascinating facts about one of nature's most magical phenomena, rainbows.
No weather phenomenon captures the human imagination quite like a rainbow. That translucent band of bright colors arcing perfectly over the landscape looks otherworldly.
And, in fact, rainbows have been tinged in myth and folklore for much of human history. Some have viewed them as pathways to magical or celestial realms, some have seen them as a sign from God, or the gods, some view them as good luck, or a path to riches.
What causes rainbows to form?
Magical as they may seem, rainbows are perfectly natural. They are an optical illusion on water and light that form because white light is comprised of all colors of the spectrum. When light passes through water, it is refracted into its component colors. Rainbows can appear any time there are water droplets in the air and the sunlight shines from behind them at a low angle. That means they are more likely to appear in the early morning or later afternoon.
Here are 5 fun and interesting facts about rainbows!
1.Rainbows can only appear directly opposite from the Sun. Where, and even if, a rainbow appears is influenced by where the viewer is in relationship to the sun. Rainbows have no set physical location. A person who appears to be standing at the end of a rainbow from another person’s perspective won’t see the rainbow in the same place, but will instead see another rainbow in a different location, opposite the sun. The top of the arc is always centered on the viewer’s head.
2. A rainbow contains seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. You may recall from your school days that an easy way to remember the order of the colors in the spectrum is by using this popular mnemonic, ROY G. BIV. These colors appear in order according to their wavelengths.
3. Sometimes a so-called “double rainbow” forms, with a fainter rainbow appearing on top of the main one. This occurs when the light is reflected twice in each raindrop, instead of just once. The double reflection causes the second rainbow to be inverted, so in a double rainbow, the colors in the secondary bow appear in the reverse order compared to the primary, or darker rainbow.
4. The sky beneath a rainbow appears brighter than the sky above it. Light rays are refracted into the area inside the arch, causing that area to appears brighter. The area outside the rainbow appears darker by contrast. In a double rainbow, this dark area above the primary rainbow even more pronounced, resulting in a very dark band between the two rainbows. This dark area is called Alexander’s band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias, a Greek philosopher described this phenomena 1800 years ago.
5. Rainbows appear to be a semi-circle because the horizon interferes. In order to see the full circle of the rainbow, you would have to look down on it with the sun behind you. This scenario is only possible from an airplane. In fact, it is possible to see a rainbow in a complete circle while flying. When this happens, the plane’s shadow appears in the center of the circle. Read about Brocken Spectres here.
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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Today I saw a rainbow on THE SAME SIDE of the sun. How can this be possible?
Today I saw a rainbow on the SAME SIDE of the sun! How can this be possible?
Why is it that the colors of a “Sundog” are inverted? Please explain this.
i really like rainbows is it poosabell to see pink in the rainbow
Summer 2014 Sf Bay, I was sailing with three people 2-3 miles south of the Oakland bay Bridge on a south eastern heading. We happened to see a full circle rainbow over the entire southbay for the entire 4 hours of our race training. We got back to south beach yact club and many club members had witnessed the same thing. So therefore the full rainbow is seen when flying above or from the water below. All that I know saw this are expert sailors and live their lives on the water, and none had ever witnessed this before. It was beautiful and truly inspiring in my faith in GOD reminding me of the covenant of GOD the rainbow represents.
Hi Allen, thanks for sharing the story. It must have been an awesome sight!
You can grab your garden hose any time and stand in the yard when the sun is shining and make a mist and create a rainbow.. when you step back and learn about rainbows you might learn that even you can make such an amazing thing a reality. And nobody ever said it isnt a rainbow just because you make it. And I can start a sentence with “because” or “and” because theres no rules. I just thought I would share this little life hack.. if we all did it you could probably see it from space.. oh snap!
So sorry about your home, dog, and truck. There have been some beautiful experiences with rainbows in these comments. I always look for this sign God gave to Noah because it is also a sign that we can plant a garden and get a harvest that year.
I saw a rainbow once. And then i saw the hurricane make land fall and flooded my house in 15 feet of water completely ripping it off the foundation. Truck was in a tree 3 blocks away and never saw my dog again. But man that was a pretty rainbow.
Rainbows are caused by sunlight retracting through raindrops. They are not created by God because there is no such thing as a God. The idea of God was created by man so is therefore only fiction. If only people realized this there would be much less war.
Brian, I might have expressed your same thoughts about 30 years ago, in my lack of personal experience and within all the darkness that I walked. However, my lack of seeking Him, or my own denial, would not have made Him any less real. While you may not believe in God, He still believes in you. In fact, He knows the number of hairs on your head, and was in your mother’s womb when you were created. He even knew you before you were born. My hope and prayer for you is that in the coming days that He might make His presence known to you, for He is real and without Him, you wouldn’t even exist.
Ah, so God is a microbe-carrying astroid.
I heard a saying that went something like this: Reality can become absurdity when a man professes to know so much about creation that he no longer believes in the creator. For he need only look at his own two hands and ponder the creations which he has accomplished with them, and ask of himself that fundamental question with such regard. The ancient civilizations knew that knowledge was the key that unlocked the door to the human mind which is either a prison or a fortress depending on his own set of values and beliefs.
we would have less wars if there were fewer non-believers.
I always thought the rainbow was a sign? to Noah that God would never flood the earth again ?