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ROYGBIV: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... rainbows have seven
beautiful colors! It was once said that "Rainbows are one of the most
spectacular lightshows ever observed on earth," and I agree.
Here are some questions you might have about rainbows:
1. Where is the sun when you see a rainbow?
The sun is always behind you when you see a rainbow, so you don't notice it.
The rain is falling in the direction of the rainbow, though.
2. What makes a rainbow appear, and curve like that?
A ray of monochromatic light -- that's light that looks like one color -- passes
through a single spherical raindrop; the drop acts like a mirror, bending the
path of the various colors of light, and we then see the bow arcing.
3. What makes the colors in a rainbow?
Sunlight, which is made up of many different colors.
4. How far away is the rainbow?
It depends on where the raindrops are. It can be nearby, or far away!
Well, I hope you enjoyed my really LITTLE talk on rainbows.
Signing off now, and hoping to see a rainbow...
-Flames7
Editor's Note: Looks like Flames7 got this great info from http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/Earthscience/Hydrology/Meteorology/Rainbows/Rainbows.htm.
What I want to know is, why does rain interact with light like this? Can
you make rainbows yourself? Are there rainbows on other planets...?
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