2007-12-12 03:51:45 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
It is actually completely round. If you ever saw one from the air, you would have seen that. It is because the sun is round, & it is light refracting off of water droplets in the air.
It can appear as different shapes, depending on the droplets in the air. I have seen slices, & spots too.
2007-12-12 04:05:18 · answer #1 · answered by fairly smart 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To see a rainbow the angles between the Sun, water drops and you have to be exact. If the angle is 42 degrees then to see the refracted light there is a cone center at you that meet that criteria. In a plane, or mountain top you can see the rainbow as a circle because you can also see down 42 degrees.
2007-12-12 11:59:06 · answer #2 · answered by Grant d 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Remember that earth's atmo[sphere] is curved, and light follows a direct path. The atmosphere can be illustrated as a spherical prism during rainbows. As light enters this spherical prism, it will separate into the ROYGBIV colors in a curved fashion.
2007-12-12 12:03:37 · answer #3 · answered by RoboPaul 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's actually a complete circle but, as the Earth is there, it can't all be seen.
When high up in a plane above the clouds, in the sun, certain conditions will cause a 'Rainbow' to appear on the clouds below. It appears as a full circle with the shadow of the plane at it's centre.
2007-12-12 12:02:21 · answer #4 · answered by Norrie 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I don't know for sure, but its probably because of refraction in the atmosphere. Since the earth is curved, refracted light would also be curved.
2007-12-12 12:01:56 · answer #5 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋