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RAINBOW

A rainbow is an arc of concentric colored bands that spans a section of the sky.
For a rainbow to form, rain must be falling in one part of the sky and the sun must be
shining from behind the observer. Rainbows form when sunlight enters a raindrop and
the various wavelengths of visible light, representing the different colors, begin to slow
and bend. Violet light bends the most and red light bends the least. Most of the light
passes through the raindrop. But the refracted light that hits the back of the drop at a
certain angle (called the critical angle) is reflected off the back of the drop. The light is
then refracted, or bent, a second time as it emerges from the drop. Because each color
bends differently, each color emerges from the drop at a slightly different angle,
producing a spectrum of colors. Because only a single color from each drop reaches an
observer, it takes many raindrops, each one reflecting light back to an observer at
slightly different angles, to produce the colors of a primary rainbow.

Fainter, secondary rainbows often form above the primary rainbow. Secondary
rainbows form when sunlight enters a raindrop at such an angle that two reflections
occur inside the raindrop. The second reflection weakens the light intensity and causes a
reversal of colors. The weakened light that emerges produces a dimmer rainbow.

How is Rainbow Formed ?

*) Formation of a rainbow

Sunlight is made up of many colors. When a ray of sunlight enters a raindrop, the
light refracts, or bends. Different colors bend slightly different amounts, so the colors
spread out. Much of the light reflects from the back of the raindrop, and then refracts
again as it exits the raindrop. Red light refracts the least; violet light refracts the most.
The other colors (not shown here) would fan out between red and violet to form the
familiar rainbow.
The conditions necessary to see a rainbow are somewhat rare. The Sun has to be
shining behind you, and it has to be raining in front of you. If the Sun and the rain form
the correct angle with your line of sight, you will see a rainbow.

*) Formation of Double Rainbow

Sometimes light reflects twice inside a raindrop before it manages to get out. This
double internal reflection can create a faint secondary rainbow surrounding the brighter
primary rainbow. The secondary rainbow is faint because some light is lost at each
reflection within the raindrop.

It is quite rare to see a double rainbow. This is not because double rainbows occur
less often than single rainbows, but because the secondary rainbow is usually too faint
to see. The colors in a secondary rainbow are arrayed in the opposite order than they
appear in a primary rainbow.

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