What Causes a ‘Rainbow’ to Appear in the Sky?

Rainbows happen when sunlight plays hide and seek with raindrops. After it rains, the sun comes out, and each drop of water acts like a tiny prism, splitting white light into colors. These colors bend and travel to our eyes in an arc shape that we see as a rainbow. It’s like magic, but it's really just science at work!

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Examples

After a summer storm, a rainbow appears in the sky because sunlight bends through raindrops.
You can see a rainbow when you're sitting in your backyard after it rains and the sun comes out.
A rainbow often appears in the morning just before sunset.

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Categories: Science · rainbow,optics,weather phenomena,light refraction,science for kids