Light and Water Working Together
A rainbow appears when sunlight shines through tiny drops of water in the air, like after it rains. The light bends, or refracts, as it enters the water drop. Inside the drop, the light splits into many colors and bounces around before leaving. This splitting happens because each color of light bends at a slightly different angle, creating a beautiful arc of colors in the sky.
The Order of the Colors
Rainbows always show colors in the same order, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, because of how the light bends. You need both sunlight and water droplets to see one, which is why rainbows often appear after a storm when the sun comes out. Sometimes, you can even see a double rainbow, where a fainter second arc appears above the first one.
FAQs
Q: Can rainbows appear at night?
A: Yes! They are called moonbows and happen when bright moonlight shines through water droplets.
Q: Can you ever touch a rainbow?
A: No, a rainbow is just light; it doesn’t have a physical form you can touch.
🧠 Conspiracy Theory
Some believe rainbows are portals to magical lands guarded by invisible unicorns.
😅 Dad Joke
Why did the rainbow go to school? To brush up on its color skills!
