🌈 RAINBOW: SUNLIGHT INSIDE A RAINDROP
PAGE 1 OF 5, SUN MEETS RAIN
SKY PAINT
A RAINBOW IS NOT A OBJECT
A rainbow looks like a colourful bridge, but you cannot fly to it or touch it. It is an optical effect made of sunlight and rain. Sunlight looks white, yet it is really a mix of many colours with different wavelengths. When white light enters a raindrop, it refracts (bends), reflects off the back of the drop, and refracts again on the way out. Each colour bends by a slightly different amount, so they spread apart. Millions of drops doing the same thing paint a glowing arc in the sky.
🌦️ WHEN?
You usually need the Sun behind you and rain or mist in front to see a bright primary rainbow.
COLOUR!
WHITE
☀️ Sunlight contains red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet blended together.
🔬 A prism or raindrop can split that blend into separate colours we can see.
🔬 A prism or raindrop can split that blend into separate colours we can see.
RAIN
🌧️ Each falling drop acts like a tiny prism plus mirror for one slice of sunlight.
🌫️ Mist from waterfalls or lawn sprinklers can make mini rainbows too.
🌫️ Mist from waterfalls or lawn sprinklers can make mini rainbows too.