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The order of a rainbow is determined by the number of light reflections inside the water droplets that create it: One reflection results in the first-order or primary rainbow; two reflections create the second-order or secondary rainbow. More internal reflections cause bows of higher orders—theoretically unto infinity. [48]
The word iridescence is derived in part from the Greek word ἶρις îris (gen. ἴριδος íridos), meaning rainbow, and is combined with the Latin suffix -escent, meaning "having a tendency toward". [1] Iris in turn derives from the goddess Iris of Greek mythology, who is the personification of the rainbow and acted as a messenger of the ...
A rainbow is a narrow, multicoloured semicircular arc due to dispersion of white light by a multitude of drops of water, usually in the form of rain, when they are illuminated by sunlight. Hence, when conditions are right, a rainbow always appears in the section of sky directly opposite the Sun.
Larger ice crystals do not produce iridescence, but can cause halos, a different phenomenon. [9] Irisation is caused by very uniform water droplets diffracting light (within 10 degrees from the Sun) and by first order interference effects [10] (beyond about 10 degrees from the Sun). It can extend up to 40 degrees from the Sun. [11]
The same plate-shaped ice crystals that cause sun dogs are also responsible for the colorful circumzenithal arc, meaning that these two types of halo tend to co-occur. [7] The latter is often missed by viewers, since it is located more or less directly overhead.
The cause of Wednesday’s Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame.. Robert Restaino, the ...
“Your rainbow baby doesn’t replace the child you lost or the children you lost,” Henke says. “I think that’s why people gravitated towards the term rainbow baby because it acknowledges ...
Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of light from the Sun or Moon with the atmosphere, clouds, water, dust, and other particulates. One common example is the rainbow, when light from the Sun is reflected and refracted by water droplets.