Diagram showing how primary and secondary rainbows are formed due to the light propagation in spherical droplets.
- Spherical droplet
- Places where internal reflection of the light occurs
- Primary rainbow
- Places where refraction of the light occurs
- Secondary rainbow
- Incoming beams of white light
- Path of light contributing to primary rainbow
- Path of light contributing to secondary rainbow
- Observer
- Region forming the primary rainbow
- Region forming the secondary raimbow
- Zone in the atmosphere holding countless tiny spherical droplets
Author: Peo
I've always loved the fact that a rainbow isn't just located where you see it. It's actually a set of 3D nested and overlapping cylinders, with you only really seeing a 2D "slice" of it from any one perspective.