Rainbows are simply beautiful multicolored arcs of light in the sky. Rainbows occur when it’s both raining and the sun is shining simultaneously. To see a rainbow, you must stand with your back to the sun, otherwise, it will not be visible.
Our sun gives off light, which we see as ‘white light’. But in fact, it isn’t actually white at all, it is actually numerous different color wavelengths. The main colors it gives off are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. These colors are called the colors of the spectrum. This is often remembered by the mnemonic ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’.
As an experiment, you can use a prism to separate these seven colors of the spectrum from the white light we see.
Random Facts about Rainbows
- A Rainbow is light refracted through millions of droplets of water
- The angle of light refraction to create a Rainbow is 42 degrees to the eye of the person watching
- Sir Isaac Newton discovered the seven distinct colors of the visible spectrum
- Rainbows are Gods promise – Genesis 9
- Rainbows in your environment create good Feng Shui
- Everyone loves a Rainbow!!
How Are Rainbows Formed
Everyone at some point in time has looked up into the sky after a rainstorm and wondered how are rainbows formed? You may be thinking that they are a magical creation that leads you on to a big pot of gold but that isn’t the reality, unfortunately. Rainbows are formed in just the right conditions of light and moisture in the air. After it rains is a great time to see them when the sun is sitting at the right angle in the sky from the rain clouds. This angle is greatly important as one or two degrees off and you won’t be able to achieve the right refraction of light to happen.
Knowing how are rainbows formed might not be something that is magical but it is a very special process that goes on to show everyday people that there are wondrous things happening all around us if we just take the time to look around with our eyes open. The magical appearance of a rainbow is all about light refracting through the water molecules in the air. When the light hits at the right angle, it shines out as a multicolored rainbow.
The most amazing fact about how are rainbows formed is that all you really need is one drop of water vapor and light to create it. The more water vapor you have the larger the rainbow becomes. Thus, when you have a good rain and the sun is sitting just right, you can get huge rainbows, some of which will be double or triple rainbows. Triple rainbows are pretty rare and you have to have really good eyesight in order to see them. Double rainbows can be quite common later in the afternoon or early in the morning when the sun is just right.
Although the magical aspect of how are rainbows formed might be more appealing to most, the scientific aspect has quite an extensive amount of information about things around us. This will give you an understanding of how light works and show you that even though it’s a scientific process, you can let your imagination run wild on the beauty alone.