How are rainbows formed. I know it’s about refraction from water droplets, but shouldn’t you see many tiny rainbows instead of one big one.
In: Physics
I can’t explain why you don’t see teeny ones, BUT when you see a rainbow, you only see one of what’s actually an endless formation of concentric rainbows.
The primary rainbow is the brightest, and if you see purple in it, you are actually witnessing a whole new bow.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes in perfect conditions a primary rainbow seems as though there are “extra” shiney bands below it?
This is called a supernumerary rainbow, and it’s the beginning of the second “disk” in the concentric bands. The blue of the primary one overlaps with the red of the next, and it shows up as purple or violet.
So, you are kind of right. There are many different rainbows. Our eyes are only capable of seeing the brightest of them.
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