How is a rainbow formed? What is it made up of, and can you ever really find the end of it?

Question

And what's all this nonsense about a pot of gold where did that originate?

Answer 1

Rainbows don't exist. What you can see is the light from the sun (behind you) relected and refracted by raindrops. You can't go there - what you see would move with you.

You can only see a rainbow where there are raindrops. It seems to end where it touches the ground, but that's because there aren't any raindrops down there. If you could get high enough, you would be able to see the whole circle - so there's no end.

Answer 2

It has something to do with light. Its like a prism. You can use it to see different colours that appear like a rainbow. Rainbows work in the same way but using water instead of a prism. The water i.e. rain acts like a prism and splits the light spectrum into the seven colours we see as a rainbow. And, if you were to view a rainbow from the air, you would see it was actually a complete circle, not an arch so ther is no end to the rainbow so no one will ever find a pot of gold. It just looks like an arch from the ground.

Answer 3

refraction of light through a clear medium - in this case water particles (you get the same effect through glass, diamonds, crystals). Famous Science experiment (if you did Science at school). White light is broken into the 7 primary colors (which is your rainbow): red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (black is not there because it absorbs light and does not reflect...another story for another day).
The end of the rainbow (which is not tangible) is likened to the ever elusive pot of gold. Everyone seeks it, but it's never really found (my version, I don't really know the origins of this).

Answer 4

Each raindrop is shaped like a prism with the narrowest angle at the top. Sunlight enters the raindrop and the "white" light which is really a mixture of the rainbow's colours is bent - or we say refracted. Because of the slightly different wave lengths (red being the longest and violet the shortest) we get the colours separated. Rainbows appear when the sun is behind you and its raining ahead of you. The double rainbow is caused by an internal reflection of the ray of sunlight inside each raindrop.

Answer 5

Not sure where it originated from but its nonsense. Its formed of white light being split, like a spectrum of colours. Think of the dark side of the moon album cover, similar principle. You can't find the end because when you get there, you will be at the beginning again, because as you move, the rainbow will move, like if you tried walking towards the sun or moon in hope that you could eventually touch it.

Answer 6

Yes the raindrops do behave like prisms and split up the light, but it is more complicated that that and there is internal reflection inside the raindrop. I have a feeling that the theory was worked out by Peter Debye last century for his PhD thesis (He is normally known as a Physical Chemist and got a Nobel Prize in the 1930's). it isnt simple! People often don't realise that their shadow will always point toward the top of the rainbow even if it isn't visible.

Answer 7

Further to mention of the circular rainbow: It is called a 'brockenspectre' and is also referred to as 'the glories'. I saw one after take-off from an airport one rainy morning. As the plane broke through the clouds into blue sky, I glanced down and was astonished. On top of a white cloud just below the plane was this circular rainbow. In the centre was the shadow of the plane.

Apparently the shadow cast upon a cloud combines with droplets of water in the cloud, bending the light to form the rainbow colours. So, if God 'looks down' onto the earth, he will see the circular rainbow. When we look up to the clouds, we see the bow - a sort-of halo above an arched bridge. Very fitting. Thank you, God, for looking down and remembering your promise never to flood the earth again, as in Noah's day. Thank you that we can look up, and that you've bridged the gap between earth and heaven. That's heavenly treasure for us!

Answer 8

It's basically the refraction of light on droplets of water causing what is 'white' light to break up into its components or spectrum of colours. But I think the angle of incidence plays a part also in the phenomenom which explains why you cannot see it after chasing its tail looking for that elusive pot of gold.

Answer 9

A rainbow is formed when the sun's light passes through millions of drops of rain, which act like a prism and split the light into a spectrum of colours, which we see as a rainbow.

Its only a bow from the ground, as it disappears behind the horizon. In actual fact it is a complete circle, which is what you'd see from above.

Answer 10

ok so when you love someone and you look into their eyes, your heart fills up with love so much that it cant contain it all and a little sigh of joy carries it up to the sky where it joins with other sighs of love to make a beautiful rainbow that brightens up your sky.

you cant find the end of it because love is eternal and the pot of gold was used as a trick by an evil guy to try and trick a beautiful young but selfish woman into marrying her so she could make rainbow and find the pot of gold....