Rainbows are proof of light refracting and reflecting inside of a raindrop. LOL@U
2007-02-10 09:06:32
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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The rainbow effect can be observed whenever there are water drops in the air and sunlight shining from behind the observer at a low altitude or angle. The most spectacular rainbow displays when half of the sky is still dark with draining clouds and the observer is at a spot with clear sky overhead. The rainbow effect is also commonly seen near waterfalls or fountains. Rainbow fringes can sometimes be seen at the edges of backlit clouds and as vertical bands in distant rain or virga. The effect can also be artificially created by dispersing water droplets into the air during a sunny day.
In a very few cases, a moonbow, or night-time rainbow, can be seen on strongly moonlit nights. As human visual perception for colour in low light is poor, moonbows are most often perceived to be white.
The rainbow's appearance is caused by dispersion of sunlight as it is refracted by (approximately spherical) raindrops. The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of the raindrop, reflected off the back of the drop, and again refracted as it leaves the drop. The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of about 40°–42°. This angle is independent of the size of the drop, but does depend on its refractive index. As seawater has a higher refractive index than rain water, the radius of a 'rain'bow in a sea spray is smaller than a true rainbow. This is visible to the naked eye by a misalignment of these bows.[1]
Since the water is dispersive, the amount that the sunlight is bent depends upon the wavelength, and hence colour, of the light's constituent parts. Blue light is refracted at a greater angle than red light, but because the area of the back of the droplet has a focal point inside the droplet, the spectrum crosses itself, and therefore the red light appears higher in the sky, and forms the outer colour of the rainbow. Contrary to popular belief, the light at the back of the raindrop does not undergo total internal reflection; however, light that emerges from the back of the raindrop does not create a rainbow between the observer and the Sun. The spectra emitted from the back of the raindrop do not have a maximum of intensity, as the other visible rainbows do, and thus the colours blend together and do not form a rainbow.
A rainbow does not actually exist at a location in the sky, but rather is an optical phenomenon whose apparent position depends on the observer's location. All raindrops refract and reflect the sunlight in the same way, but only the light from some raindrops reaches the observer's eye. These raindrops are perceived to constitute the rainbow by that observer. The position of a rainbow in the sky is always in the opposite direction of the Sun with respect to the observer, and the interior is always slightly brighter than the exterior. The bow is centred on the shadow of the observer's head, or more exactly at the antisolar point (which is below the horizon during the daytime), appearing at an angle of approximately 40°–42° to the line between the observer's head and its shadow. As a result, if the Sun is higher than 42°, then the rainbow is below the horizon and cannot be seen as there are usually not enough raindrops between the horizon (that is: eye height) and the ground, to contribute. One exception is when the observer is at the top of a mountain or a similar vantage point, for example an aeroplane (see below). Another exception occurs when the rainbow is produced by a garden sprinkler. In this case to get sufficient drops they must be very small.
It is difficult to photograph the complete arc of a rainbow, which would require an angle of view of 84°. For a 35 mm camera, a lens with a focal length of 19 mm or less would be required, whilst most photographers are only likely to have a 28 mm wide-angle lens. From an aeroplane, one has the opportunity to see the whole circle of the rainbow, with the plane's shadow in the centre. This phenomenon can be confused with the glory, but a glory is usually much smaller, covering only 5°–20°, as opposed to over 80° for a full circle rainbow.
2007-02-10 17:12:15
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answer #2
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answered by eldad9 6
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Actually, the rainbow is caused by sun light passing through moisture in the air and splitting off into the different wavelengths, as it would if it were going through a prism.
The same thing happens midday when there are frozen clouds high in the atmosphere blocking the sun. Sometimes you can see the sun encircled by a small rainbow. (The same thing can happen at night with the moon.)
On the other hand, scientists measure "red shift" as if all the stars in the universe are moving away from us, and I've always wondered if they thought that was funny. If everything in the universe is moving away from our soloar system, it actually proves that we ARE the center of the universe or the point of origin for the big bang, or both.
(Try asking an evolutionist about this and see what you get. They'll call you names, tell you to look at your 7th grade science book and run away.)
2007-02-10 17:10:02
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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No rainbows are a phenomena that happens in the atmosphere appears during or immediately following local showers, when the sun is shining and the air contains raindrops. The bow is divided into bands displaying the different colors of the spectrum and is formed by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain. Reflection is simply the return of light waves from the raindrop's surface. Light which appears to be white, is really made up of a mixture of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet light.
2007-02-10 17:08:14
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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That is a Great Question! I have a couple of responses... :) Recently Scientists have discovered that the universe keeps expanding indefinatley, or for infinity. An interesting thing with sound waves is that it doesnt dissapear when something is said it keeps going on and and on. When God Created the Universe He did it with his words Let there be light... and then there was light. but it didnt stop there His words are still creating! As far as the obscurity of our solar system. In Christianity, Yeshua or Jesus came to the world to redeem mankind for its sins, and be the sacrificial lamb that God might have relationship with fallen man. But when he came He came in obscurity in a country with one of the smallest populations (Jesus’ birth in obscurity in the backwaters of the Roman Empire) and from a town that was such a small town that people couldnt believe he came from there. So in that regard the obscurity makes sense, I would ask God to reveal Himself to you and show you more truth on this as well. The Rainbow was a covenant He made with man. :) If you seek Him you will find him.
2007-02-10 17:28:58
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answer #5
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answered by Nicky 1
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There are rainbows because of water drops in the air and sunlight shining at a low altitude or angle.
2007-02-10 17:08:36
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answer #6
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answered by FAUUFDDaa 5
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I thought rainbows was light reflecting off of water. But there I go listening to that evil science again.
2007-02-10 17:10:10
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answer #7
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answered by fifimsp1 4
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you will notice that in genesis god took days 1-3 and 5-6 to fiddle with the earth, briefly pausing at day 4 to create every single sun and planet in the universe.
Shows that whoever wrote the bible was completely oblivious about our place in the universe. Funny god didn't mention that.
2007-02-10 17:08:02
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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rainbows are all what was said above. but i always thought it was interesting how some cultures view rainbows as a sign of god or good luck. and others take it as a sign of menace and bad luck. i guess its all in your perspective.
2007-02-10 17:31:02
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answer #9
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answered by wcarolinew 2
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I was taught the answer to this question in middle school science class. How did you manage to not only pass middle school but high school and college (assuming you are there) science?
2007-02-10 17:15:45
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answer #10
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answered by Laura 5
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