RAINBOW

                                                                              
Do you know what a rainbow is?

                Rainbows are spectacular rays of light in the sky. There are seven colors in a rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green,Blue, Indigo and Violet). Sir Isaac Newton found the colors in the rainbow. First he found the 5 colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet) later he added two more – Orange and Indigo. Here is an easy way to remember the rainbow color order – Ratting On Your GrouchyBrother Is Vile.

A rainbow is formed when sunlight hits a collection of raindrops that bends light waves in such a way that it makes a rainbow.

Do you know how and where to look for a rainbow?
           

           Three conditions have to be met. First it should be raining, second the Sun should be shining and third the person should be in between the Sun and the rain.

Did you know there are different types of Rainbows?


·            If you see a one color rainbow, it is a monochrome rainbow and that is very rare too. It usually forms during sunset or sunrise.

·         Do you know a rainbow can be a full-circle and it is not always half?  If you go high up you can see that some rainbows continue below the horizon.

·         Sometimes we can see one rainbow inside the other. It is called a double rainbow.  The outer rainbow is fainter and the color order is reversed.
               

A DOUBLE RAINBOW

A MOONBOW

.        Do you know rainbows can appear at night? That is called a moonbow. They occur on a full moon night or close to full moon.  It is so rare to find a moonbow, it would be a good idea to take a picture of it.

.        Sometimes a rainbow can be upside down. It is called a Smile Rainbow or upside down rainbow. Smile rainbow is not formed when it is raining. But the ice crystals in the air cause the rainbow.

A SMILE RAINBOW

·         Supernumerary rainbows—also known as stacker rainbows, faintly colored rings are seen just inside of the primary bow. This is very rare too. So take a picture of it if you see one.

Science Experiments to make a rainbow:

·         Take a glass prism and put it outside facing the sun rays. The light gets bent and the rainbow will appear. Have you ever tired this experiment? If you didn’t, try it.

·         Have you ever tired this cool experiment? Take a glass of water and put it on a white paper. Glass facing the sun, paper in shade. A rainbow will appear. Try it, it is really cool.

Did you know there are Legends and Myths with rainbows?

·         In Hinduism, Rainbow is called Indradhanush. It is a bow of Lord Indra – God of lightning and thunder

·         In Christianity, Rainbow is a sign of God’s promise that he will never flood the world again.

·         Australian aborigines worship a god who is half snake and half fish and lives in a hole underground. When he moves from one hole to another, it forms the rainbow.

·         Japanese believe rainbow is a floating bridge of Heaven.

·         Now to the most popular one. Irish believe at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold with a Leprechaun (an Irish elf) guarding it. Leprechauns are very cunning and quick. If you catch one, he will grant you three wishes to let him go free. I think you must have heard of this legend before, it is the most popular and fun one.

There are some more legends. Go explore by yourself and enjoy!

We saw a lot of rainbows in Yellowstone National Park. I would like to slide on a rainbow but it is too high to reach and you can never find an end of a rainbow. Do you know why? It is an optical illusion!  I am fascinated by a rainbow. Are you?