I know its got something to do with sun and rain but where do all the colours come from
2007-07-29 05:47:50 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
Rainbows are not "made" they are simply the reflection (and refraction) of light through small droplets of water suspended in the air.
Since water is thicker than air, the water bends light as it enters the droplets and what you see as a rainbow is the separation that bending created and reflected in the sky as colors of the spectrum.
The colors are there because light is a wave and each color is a different size wave. When they get bent by the water, the waves are separated from each other into the bands you see in the sky stacking the shortest, then next, and so on until the longest.
If you put a glass of water in your window at a time of day when the sun is shining through it - you can create a similar effect yourself in your house.
2007-07-29 05:59:35 · answer #1 · answered by CoachT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are usually 3 things necessary for a rainbow to be noticeable. 1. Rainy in the area. 2. Sunshine 3. Your back to the sun.
What happens is the sunlight may appear bright orange or yellow, but it actually contains all the colors/wavelengths of light including some others that you can't see including UV, Gamma & IR to name a few. What happens is the rain drops act as diamond or diffuser. It splits the light into all of its independent wavelengths. What you get is ROY G BIV - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet - A RAINBOW!
These are the only wavelengths/colors that humans can visually interpret - the others are there too - we just can't see them.
2007-07-29 06:01:20 · answer #2 · answered by Streaker 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water droplets in the air act as prisms, splitting the sun's white light into the colors of the rainbow.
2007-07-29 05:53:15 · answer #3 · answered by Lexy R 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The water relects the sun's light. Therefore, making a spectrum of colors known as a rainbow.
2007-07-29 18:20:40 · answer #4 · answered by jayden_327 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By Total Internal Reflection.
2007-07-29 06:01:07 · answer #5 · answered by pappu_turbo 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
look the white light (sun light) comprises of all the colours. when this white light passes through water droplets in the air it gets refracted and rainbow appears
2007-07-29 06:00:08 · answer #6 · answered by aryan1204 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
refraction of white light through rain drops
2007-07-29 12:05:13 · answer #7 · answered by rosie recipe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water droplets or mist reflected by the sun.........pretty huh!
2007-07-29 05:57:04 · answer #8 · answered by ask me a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
reflect from sun
2007-07-29 05:53:46 · answer #9 · answered by Andrew M 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋