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Where does a rainbow begin? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Rainbows form when droplets of water are hit by the light of the sun at just the right angle. Although it looks like an actual object, a rainbow is really just a beam of special, colorful light in the sky!
Sometimes, you won't see an entire half-circle rainbow and you'll just see a small section of one. This happens when the light hitting the droplets in the air only hits a smaller section of water droplets.
Backyard rainbow!
On a sunny day, you can try making your very own rainbow in your backyard!
Turn on a garden hose and spray its water up into the air. Point the water around in a few different directions, and see if you can find the right direction that will make a rainbow appear when the sun hits the water!
Don't forget to wear a bathing suit when you try out this experiment, and also make sure to find a place in the yard where the plants need the water that you spray!
If you were to see a rainbow from up in the sky (like a bird or as a passenger in a plane), you'd be able to see that a whole rainbow is actually a full circle! The reason you see only a half-circle on the ground is that the horizon cuts off your view, making it look like the rainbow is something that starts and ends at some point off in the distance, when in fact, it's something floating up in the sky!
The “horizon” refers to the place where it looks like the land meets up with the sky. In fact, the land never meets up with the sky, since the sky wraps all around the Earth! And since a rainbow is up in the sky, and the sky wraps all around the Earth, you can think of a rainbow like a big ribbon on top of the Earth, wrapping it up like a present!
Sometimes, you won't see an entire half-circle rainbow and you'll just see a small section of one. This happens when the light hitting the droplets in the air only hits a smaller section of water droplets.
Backyard rainbow!
On a sunny day, you can try making your very own rainbow in your backyard!
Turn on a garden hose and spray its water up into the air. Point the water around in a few different directions, and see if you can find the right direction that will make a rainbow appear when the sun hits the water!
Don't forget to wear a bathing suit when you try out this experiment, and also make sure to find a place in the yard where the plants need the water that you spray!
- "horizon." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 8 November 2009
- “About Rainbows.” The National Center for Atmospheric Research & the UCAR Office of Programs. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 8 Nov. 2009
- “Optical Illusions: Can rainbows make a full circle?” Weather Wiz Kids. 8 Nov. 2009
Great answer!! we're going to make drawing of full circle rainbows like how a bird would see it up in the sky ~ ~