0
Rainbows have been the subject of songs and poems, stories and mythology, but there is an explanation as to why rainbows appear as they do. Rainbows are light and you can't touch them. The sun must be shining and must be behind you, and there must be water droplets in the air in front of you. Sunlight shines into the water drops which act as tiny prisms that bend or "refract" the light and separate it into colors. Rays of a rainbow bend twice. As they enter the drops, the rays are bent, then they reflect off the back of the drops and bend again as they exit out the front of the drops. The rainbow is circular because when a raindrop bends light, the light exits the raindrop at a 40-42 degree angle away from the angle it entered the raindrop. The violets and blues bend at a 40 degree angle, and the Oranges and reds bend at a 42 degree angle. Light can also enter droplet, be reflected off the back of the droplet, only to be reflected of the front, and then off the back again before leaving. It is bent at each phase in this process, and a second rainbow can appear above the first one. In a double rainbow, the second rainbow will appear where it does because the light will be cumulatively bent some 50 to 53 degrees. This gives it its position "outside" the primary rainbow. Also, the colors will be inverted in this bow. Rainbows don't have "ends" but are full circled, but we can't see this because the horizon of the earth is in the way. If the sun is very low in the sky, either just before sunset or just after sunrise, we can see a half circle. The higher the sun is in the sky, the less we see of the rainbow. The only way to see the full circle of a rainbow in the sky is to be above the ground and have the sun behind you. You would have to look out on the drops from an airplane to see a circular rainbow. Now, this is quite complex, so it's possible you might get away with the old standard, "There is gold at the end of the rainbow and that's what makes the colors." Be sure that you watch your 6-year old closely as he/she might decide to pack his/her bags and go hunting for that bag of gold! Another way you may get away with explaining this off is buying a "prism" (it's a glass drop) and hanging it in a sunny window. It will reflect beautiful spots of light in the room and the effects are quite pleasant to study. Another way to view a full rainbow without leaving the ground is using a garden hose. Have it spray water in bright sunlight with the sun behind you and the spray in front of you. If the entire circle is not visible you can move the hose around to see the rest of the circle. The ones seen from airplanes are more spectacular, though.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoit is the sunset, water, and sky
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What does a satellite look like in the night sky as viewed from earth?
If you get out your telescope and look high over the equator at sunset, you may be able to see a stationary satellite. It will look like a pinpoint of light. During the daytime, There is too much light to see them.
What is the name of the rainbow?
A Moonbow lmao that kinda sounds stupid sorry but i saw one and yea i mostly called it a Black Rainbow cuz it had grey but the grey rainbow sounded stupid so i just called it the BLACK RAINBOW Enjoy =]
Can you touch a rainbow?
Because its an optical illusion. It looks like it falls on the horizion, but the more you travel towards it, it remains the same distance away. The rainbow that you actually see is only part of a circle of the rainbow in the sky. We normally only see a segment or an arc from horizion to horizion. On certain conditions when the upper level atmosphere is just right, an entire circle of the rainbow can be seen and on rare occasions, even multiple ones. == ==
Why do stars appear to move through the night sky?
It's because you might be moving or its a plane.Planes that take flight look different in the day and different in the night.So planes that take flight in the night should look like a star in the night . It really isn't a star because it's just flashing its lights to help it see at night.
What do meteors and meteorites look like?
The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".The Perseid meteors and all meteors look like a light streaking across the sky, which is why they are sometimes called a "Shooting star" or "Falling star".
What does a factor rainbow look like for 13?
A factor rainbow for 13 would look like this: 13 = 1 x 13.
What do rainbow rocks look like?
rainbow rocks look raibowbut it has the colors [yellow silver gold red ]
How does rainbow look like from spacecraft?
good
What do the rainbow gold or brown puffles look like?
brown rainbow gold. Free shipping
What does the factor rainbow look like for 13?
13 is already prime. It doesn't need a rainbow.
What does the back of a rainbow look like?
the same it does on the fornt
Why does the moon sometimes appear to be rainbow-colored?
The moon has never appeared to look rainbow colour, if it does it is because your eyes are playing tricks on you or because you are on drugs.
How does the factor rainbow look like of the number 81?
3,3,3,39,3,327,381
What did the first streetcar look like?
it was the color of the rainbow. I think.
What does the color black look like?
it is dark and not a rainbow color
What does a factor rainbow look like for 247?
247 13,19
What does your house look like?
my house looks awsome its rainbow
