![]() Since each color wavelength has different energies, they refract at slightly different angles, allowing the colors to separate out into the spectrum we see in a rainbow. The light waves refract as it enters the drop, reflect off the back of the drop, and then refract once more as it leaves the droplet. The droplet bends (refracts) and bounces (reflects) light. The recipe for a rainbow is quite simple, says Businger: On a basic level, “you need some sunshine and you need some rain.”Įach drop in a rain shower acts as a mini prism. “For many people, it really captures their attention.” “I have had a fascination with atmospheric optics since I was a kid and rainbows are a jaw-dropping, beautiful phenomenon,” he says. These fantastic beams of color are atmospheric optical effects, explains Businger, which he describes in a recent paper published in the journal Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. ![]() Businger is a rainbow chaser-he’s flown in helicopters, hiked up misty volcanic peaks, and run out of his home in the middle of breakfast to photograph a double rainbow. That bird’s eye view is just one of many observations Businger has made to better understand the physics, geometry, and optics behind these natural wonders. Related Segment The Rainbow Connection-To Physics
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