rainbow

thumb|upright=1.35|Double rainbow and supernumerary rainbows on the inside of the primary arc. The shadow of the photographer's head at the bottom of the photograph marks the centre of the rainbow circle (the antisolar point).

AI overview

A rainbow is an optical phenomenon consisting of a spectrum of light that appears in the sky when sunlight and rain occur simultaneously, with the observer positioned between the sun and the rain. Rainbows matter because they are striking natural displays that have fascinated people throughout history and provide visible evidence of how light behaves when it interacts with water droplets.

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Wikidata facts

Image: WhereRainbowRises.jpg

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Unicode character: 🌈
Commons category: Rainbows
Commons gallery: Rainbow

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~43 min read

Article

26 sections

Contents

Visibility
Number of colours in a spectrum or a rainbow <span class="anchor" id="The seven colours of the rainbow"></span>
Explanation
Mathematical derivation
Variations
Double rainbows
Twinned rainbow
Full-circle rainbow
Supernumerary rainbows {{anchor|Supernumerary}}
Reflected rainbow, reflection rainbow
Monochrome rainbow
Higher-order rainbows
Rainbows under moonlight
Fogbow
Sleetbow
Circumhorizontal and circumzenithal arcs
Extraterrestrial rainbows
Rainbows with different materials
Scientific history
Experiments
Religion, culture and mythology
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links

A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. Rainbows can be caused by many forms of airborne water. These include not only rain, but also mist, spray, and airborne dew.