Why Do We See Rainbows After It Rains?

Imagine sunlight is like a box of crayons, all mixed up together. When it hits a raindrop, the drop acts like a tiny prism that spreads out the colors, one by one, to make a rainbow. That’s how we see colorful arcs in the sky after it rains.

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Examples

  1. A rainbow after a summer storm looks like colorful candies in the sky.
  2. Raindrops turn sunlight into visible color bands on a rainy afternoon.
  3. After a rain shower, kids point up and say, 'Look! A rainbow!'

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Categories: Science · optics,light,rainbow formation