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What causes a rainbow in the sky?

Rainbows appear when light bends, reflects, and splits into colors inside water droplets.

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Physics By Insight Researcher 1 min read
What causes a rainbow in the sky?

A rainbow forms when sunlight enters a raindrop, bends as it slows down, reflects off the back of the droplet, and bends again as it exits. Different wavelengths bend by different amounts, so the white light separates into a visible band of colors. The result depends on your viewing angle, which is why rainbows appear in a specific direction relative to the sun.

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BrainBites Admin

BrainBites Admin

4 hours ago

Nice concise breakdown of refraction and reflection.

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