6 Crazy and Colourful Facts About Rainbows

Photo: Shutterstock

1. Rainbows Are Optical Illusions

Similar to a mirage, a rainbow is formed when light rays bend, creating an effect that is visible, but not able to be touched or approached. For rainbows, light is reflected and refracted through water droplets, separating white light into the seven colours of the spectrum.

Check out this list of some of 2017’s coolest scientific discoveries.

Photo: Shutterstock

2. Rainbows Can Exist at Night

When light from the moon disperses through water droplets, the result is known as a moon bow. Because moonlight is fainter than sunlight, the bow itself may appear white, but long exposure cameras can capture the full array of colours.

Here are 6 Spooky Facts You Never Knew About the Moon.

Photo: Shutterstock

3. Rainbow Hunters, Look Here

Morning and evenings after a storm are the best times to glimpse a rainbow. With the sun low in the sky (at an angle of about 42 degrees, to be exact), light passes through drops of water at the proper angle to create a rainbow above the horizon. When the sun is much higher—at, say, 1 pm—or lower in the sky, the angle of the light projects a rainbow below the horizon, where it’s more likely to be blocked by trees or buildings, or not be visible at all. Rainbows appear in the sky opposite the sun, so make sure your back is to the sun to give you the best chance of seeing one.

Check out these amazing rainbow photographs from our readers!

Photo: Shutterstock

4. Rainbows Can Be Full Circles

Consider the horizon again: It’s the line that cuts the full circle of a rainbow in half. With no horizon—such as the view from an airplane or while skydiving—it’s possible to see the rainbow’s entire circumference.

Photo: Shutterstock

5. Remember the Colours of the Rainbow with This Acronym

Allow us to introduce you to Roy G. Biv. Remember that name, and you’ll be able to recite the colours of the spectrum (and the colours of a rainbow from top to bottom) in order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Because the second, fainter rainbow of a double rainbow is a reflection of the first, the colours are reversed.

Discover the 3 Ways Colours Can Help You Lose Weight.

Photo: Shutterstock

6. Aristotle Was Obsessed with Rainbows

Greek scholar Aristotle was one of the first thinkers to seriously consider how and why rainbows formed—he devoted much of Meteorology, Book III to the topic. Though some of his theories were wrong (he posited that rainbows were made of only three colours), he rightly deduced that white light separated into the colours of the spectrum to form rainbows.

Check out 50 of the Most Beautiful Quotes About Nature!