By: Edith and Delia

How are Rainbows Formed? Rainbows are formed by light and water molecules that meet in the air. They are commonly seen during or after rain showers because the sun begins to come out, and its rays meet with the rain.

Did you know…  Rainbows are white light split up into many different colors.  They are made up of 7 main colors; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.  All 7 colors in the rainbow make up white light.  Rainbows are never ending, because they are just an optical illusion.  Sunlight is coming from behind you and then bouncing off of the water molecules in front of you, which makes the rainbow always stay the same distance away from you.  The higher the sun is in the sky, the flatter the arc. Look at that rainbow!

Double Rainbows Double rainbows are caused by a double reflection of the sun in the water. The second rainbow appears around a ̊ angle. The colors of the second rainbow are inverted compared to the first rainbow (which means the violet is on the top of the arc and the red is on the bottom).

Why is the sky brighter inside a rainbow? Have you ever noticed the contrast between the sky inside the arc and outside it? If you have ever studied the refraction of sunlight on a raindrop you would find that there are many rays emerging at angles smaller than the rays that form the rainbow. No rays emerge at angles outside the arc of the rainbow. Therefore, there is a lot of light within the rainbow’s arc. Since this light is a mix of all the rainbow colors, it is white and appears brighter. In the case of the double rainbow, the rainbow ray is the smallest angle and there are many rays emerging at angles greater than this one. Therefore, the two rainbows combine to make a dark region between them.

How far away is a Rainbow? Many researchers are frequently asked questions about how far away a rainbow is. How far away are the raindrops that produce it? It’s hard to judge how far away a rain cloud is, especially if the clouds are moving. The rainbow's distance extends from the nearest to the farthest raindrops that contribute any part of the colored light. Each raindrop contributes to the rainbow. The closest of these raindrops may be miles away. It’s like a rainbow of colors!

Gold Myth This myth, about the gold at the end of a rainbow, isn’t true. The story came from the Celts, a group of people who lived in Ireland 1,500 years ago. The Celts’ mythology says that tiny little men (also called leprechauns), were shoemakers who didn’t like sharing with others. So, they got they idea that if you reached the end of a rainbow you can receive their gold. But, this will never happen, because a rainbow is just an illusion, and it never ends.

Bibliography  w_pot_of_gold_hw.gif  content/uploads/2010/09/double_rainbow01.jpg&imgrefurl= 2010/09/santa-teresa-costa-rica-resorts-rainbow/  &usg=__sNAPHrP2JB91PteMv3W6ETkeb_k=&h=165&w=256&sz=6&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbn id=JwWHcWmk3PcUJM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=202&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddouble%2Brainbows%26u m%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1267%26bih%3D633%26tbs%3 Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=809&vpy=412&dur=877&hovh=132&hovw=204&tx=87&ty= 101&ei=j5qqTOK-CoP58Abdmc39Bg&oei=j5qqTOK- CoP58Abdmc39Bg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0 