New Delhi: A rainbow happens when sunlight is refracted, reflected, and dispersed by water droplets in the air. This creates a circular, multicoloured arc in the sky. Rain, mist, spray, or airborne dew can cause rainbows. Usually, we see only part of the circle, which appears as an arc.
This arc is centred on an imaginary line from the Sun to our eyes. In a primary rainbow, the outer part of the arc appears red, and the inner part appears violet. In a double rainbow, a second arc is seen outside the primary arc, with the colours in reverse order.
In this article, let us look at some fascinating facts about rainbows.
Facts to learn about rainbows
1. How Rainbows Form
When water droplets bend sunlight, they create a rainbow by separating the sunlight into different colours. This process is called dispersion.
2. The Order of Colors
Rainbows always have the same colour order—red on the outside and violet on the inside. This is because each light colour is bent at a slightly different angle.
3. Circular Rainbows
Rainbows are full circles, but we usually see them as half-circles because the ground blocks the bottom part.
4. Double Rainbows
When you spot a double rainbow, it’s like witnessing nature’s magic trick. It happens when the light takes only one or two bounces inside each tiny water droplet. The secondary rainbow appears above the primary rainbow with a reversed colour sequence.
Double Rainbow (Photo credit: Unsplash)
5. Moonbows
Under the right conditions, a “moonbow” can occur due to the refraction of moonlight. Moonbows often appear white or colourless but can display colours with a bright full moon and a dark sky.
6. Supernumerary Rainbows
On the inner side of the primary rainbow, faint, pastel-coloured bands known as supernumerary rainbows may be visible. They form due to the interference of light waves exiting the water droplets at slightly different angles.
7. Alexander’s Dark Band
Between a double rainbow, there might be a darker band of sky called Alexander’s dark band, which arises due to the scattering of light from droplets inside and between the rainbows.
8. Seeing Rainbows
Each person sees their unique rainbow because the appearance of a rainbow depends on their position relative to the Sun and the rain.
9. Rainbows and peacocks
The Greeks used the word “iris” to describe any colourful circle, such as the iris of the eye or the spot on a peacock’s tail. The goddess of the rainbow is connected to the iris flower, the chemical iridium, and the word “iridescent”.
It isn’t easy to see a rainbow and not feel like something special is happening. Rainbows are beautiful, like shooting stars and the Northern lights. They are pure magic, nature’s style—a fact acknowledged by nearly every culture since the beginning of time. Keep reading to learn some fascinating facts about rainbows. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
