Double Rainbow Picture and Explanation

Rainbows are frequently created by the sun shining into an atmosphere with rain droplets, when the sun is low in the sky.  Each droplet of water acts like a prism breaking up the sun’s white light into the colors of the rainbow.  Less frequently, an observer can see a double rainbow, in which the second rainbow is higher in the sky, more faint, and with the colors of the primary rainbow reversed.  The prism effect is created by the reflection and refraction of the light by the droplets.

For a more detailed explanation see: http://madeiraislands.net/blog/double-rainbow-explained/

 

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Tags: meteorology, Physics, Rainbow, science news