Whats up with double rainbows, Im shure there is alot of math envolved in the size and distance involved?

Question

The outher morning I was driving home in a decent rain, I pulled over on the haul road by my house. I checked out the morning rain, the light breaking through the clouds here and there, the dark areas crossing town shadows of clouds. The rain, it was all to beautyful tell I saw a rainbow. Clear as day I could see bouth ends looking like it was landing in the back yards of two near by houses. Then above it a lighter but still present rainbow, this is a double rainbow, I have seen a few and taken pictures of a few as well. But dose a rainbow actuly touch down? Just as the space between the two rainbows is clear is the space between the ground and the rainbow clear? Is there some math or science that proves or relates to this? Why would the two rainbows not touch? Is this the same as the ground? What factors are envolved that seprate the two and are they simular to the way the rainbow reacts to the ground? Maby Im all wrong. If you have any answers or thoughts please shair.

Answer 1

Certain conditions must be met for you to see a rainbow. The sun must be behind you and the rain in front of you. The lower the sun is in the sky, the higher and tighter the rainbow. Rainbows don't actually touch the ground, they form complete circles around the sun. However, we are not high enough above the ground to see that. Sometimes pilots in the sky can see a rainbow form a complete circle.

When sunlight shines thru the rain, some of the light shines thru a drop of rain. That light doesn't cause rainbows. Some of the light reflects off the OUTside of the raindrop. That light doesn't form rainbows either. However, some of the sunlight shines into the raindrop then reflects off the back of the raindrop from the INside. When this happens the light is broken into its constituate colors and each color of light, having a different wavelength, is refracted by a different angle.

There is a smaller amount of light that, under ideal conditions, shines into a raindrop and reflects off the INside of the raindrop, not once, but twice, before exiting. This light is refracted into its constituant colors to form the second rainbow above the first. In the second rainbow the colors are in reverse order from the first. Because it is a double reflection of the light in the raindrop, the angle from which we see the rainbow on the ground are different from the primary first rainbow. This difference ensures that there will always be a separation between the two rainbows.

Answer 2

This is another very good question and I have the scientific answer you are looking for. On those occasions when a rather spectacular rainbow is visible, an observer will occasionally be treated to a view of a dimmer secondary rainbow. The secondary bow will be visible about 8 degrees above the primary bow and will suspend a larger arc across the sky. The secondary bow also has a slightly narrower band of colors than the primary bow and the colors as you may have noticed are in reverse order. Red makes up the innermost band of the secondary bow and violet the outermost. The secondary rainbow is generated in much the same manner as the primary. The main difference is that the dispersed light which constitutes the secondary is reflected twice within a raindrop before it exits. The extra reflection results in a 50 degree angle for the dispersion of the color red (about 8 degrees higher than the primary ) and a reverse order of the colors.

Answer 3

A rainbow, in the simplest terms, is observed when sun light, from behind the observer, is refracted by water molecules in the earth's atmosphere. You are seeing light's color spectrum which is magnified by water molecules. A rainbow does not actually exist in a particular position in the sky. It is an optical illusion and is dependent on the observer’s position to the sun. When someone observes two rainbows they are seeing the light being reflected twice inside the raindrop. The second rainbow will be faint and its colors will be inverted or in reverse order. There have even been reports of three rainbows! A rainbow can appear to touch the ground but that is, again, dependent on the observer's position to the sun and the sun angle. Hope this answers your questions!

Answer 4

Mainly being not fat and having personality is good for me. I also say a lot that girls need to do the asking out because either guys are chicken or other rude girls have made them not want to. Big boobs are cool but do not do a whole lot for me. Talking more and being sociable helps to. Obviously a guy will notice the girl talking when you are not. Gaining interest is just a numbers game, you go around long enough some one will notice you. I used to get hot chicks as a geeky computer tech. I can say there is hope for you if I still see hideous fat beast girls at the mall with guys though.. but hey I'm just talking