
What Causes a Rainbow? | Light, Physics, Reflection, Refraction ...
Dec 9, 2025 · A rainbow is caused by the refraction, dispersion, and reflection of sunlight as it passes through raindrops. As light passes through raindrops, it bends at different rates …
What Causes a Rainbow? | NESDIS | National Environmental …
A rainbow isn’t really a “thing” and it doesn’t exist in a particular “place.” It is an optical phenomenon that appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right—and the …
Rainbow - Wikipedia
Rainbows caused by sunlight always appear in the section of sky directly opposite the sun. Rainbows can be caused by many forms of airborne water. These include not only rain, but …
The Physics Behind Rainbows and Other Light Phenomena
May 24, 2025 · A rainbow forms when millions of tiny water droplets in the atmosphere refract, reflect, and disperse sunlight back towards an observer’s eye. The process begins with …
Rainbow Causes, Colors, and Weather - ThoughtCo
Apr 30, 2025 · Rainbows happen when sunlight and raindrops meet, making beautiful colors in the sky. The colors in a rainbow always show in the same order, like red, orange, yellow, and …
What causes a rainbow? - BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Jan 9, 2025 · Put simply, a rainbow is caused by interaction between sunlight and atmospheric water. This most commonly means raindrops, but mist and spray can also cause rainbows.
Why the Sky Paints Rainbows: A Simple Explanation
Aug 8, 2025 · The secret to a rainbow lies in a three-step dance between sunlight and a single raindrop: refraction, reflection, and dispersion. Though it happens in a flash, this process is …
Physics Tutorial: Rainbow Formation
To view a rainbow, your back must be to the sun as you look at an approximately 40 degree angle above the ground into a region of the atmosphere with suspended droplets of water or even a …
What Is a Rainbow? - timeanddate.com
Feb 14, 2025 · The shape of a rainbow is a result of the refractive index of water. This causes the sunlight to be reflected off rain droplets within a limited range of angles that lie between 0° and …
How Are Rainbows Formed? The Science Behind the Colors
Sep 23, 2023 · To be scientifically correct, a rainbow is not an object but an optical illusion. What reaches our eyes is visible light, which gets processed by the human eye into the vibrant …