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Discussion » Statements » Rosie's Corner » I'm noticing what I don't notice as much as I used to. Maybe it's where I live that's changing. When was the last time you saw a RAINBOW?
RosieG

I'm noticing what I don't notice as much as I used to. Maybe it's where I live that's changing. When was the last time you saw a RAINBOW?

My sister lives in Carson City, Nevada and I just emailed her this morning and mentioned that. She emailed back and sez she sees them EVERY TIME IT RAINS! On rare occasion she sees a DOUBLE RAINBOW! It's been raining a lot here in Hemet(well compared to our normal which is way sub average) and  haven't seen a single rainbow at all.  For a couple of YEARS. Are you rainbow satisfied or rainbow deprived too?

Posted - February 4, 2019
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Responses


  • 44738
    There is no such thing as too many rainbows. I am the only one I know who has seen a triple. Conditions were perfect.
      February 4, 2019 3:22 PM MST
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  • 113301
    TRIPLE RAINBOW Elle? LUCKY YOU! I agree.There is no such thing as too many rainbows. We used to live in an apartment whose orientation was such that I put some prisms on the window and when the sun shone through them rainbows were all over the walls of the apartment. Sadly here we aren't so situated. You are the only one I've ever heard of who saw a TRIPLE RAINBOW! I don't s'pose you had a camera handy and took a picture of it didja? Thank you for your reply.  Well as for too many well I'm sure there are those in the world who dislike rainbows. There are lots of peculiar people out there ya know! :(
      February 5, 2019 1:49 AM MST
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  • 44738
    Interesting. We also have a prism on a stand in our house which creates a color spectrum on the walls and furniture. I have a pic of my rainbow hand in my phone, but I don't know how to post it here, or I would.
      February 5, 2019 6:56 AM MST
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  • 10778

    Would it surprise you to know that rainbows are actually quite common?   Any time light passes through a water droplet, a rainbow is produced (prism).  However, unless you're at the precise angle to that droplet, the bow won’t be visible to you.  Oh, it's there, but if you're just hair off that "exact" spot, you won’t see it.  That’s why they seem so rare to us.  Conditions have to be so precise for a person to see a rainbow – the water drops must be between the person and the suns position in the sky.  The sun must be at a precise angle to the water drops and the viewer (why they’re mostly seen in afternoons and mornings).  There must be enough water droplets to provide continuous refraction (a single water droplet wouldn’t produce a bow long enough for us to glimpse it).

    Double, triple or quadruple rainbows are rarer still, but only because we view them from one spot. Oh, they’re there all the time as well (the more water droplets the more rainbows or prisms).  However, since they are at a different angle (higher or lower to that that precise plane of view) to us, we don’t see them.   The higher one is (and at the precise location) the better chance one has to se multiple rainbows. 

    Sundogs and halos around the moon or sun are also a type of rainbow.  However, instead of light being refracted through water, it’s refracted through ice crystals.  Thus, they aren’t in “bow” form.

     

    I live in a very wooded and hilly area.  This cuts down on my ability to be in the right location to see a rainbow (they block either the sun or the sky).  Because of this, I really haven’t seen a rainbow in quite some time (although other people in this area are always posting them on Facebook). 

      February 4, 2019 5:09 PM MST
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  • 113301
    As I explained to Ellement we used to live in an apartment whose orientation was such that when I put a few prisms on the window and the sun shone through them we had rainbows on our walls! It was so beautiful. But here in Hemet no such luck. So they are there all around us then? We just can't see them? Well isn't that a nice thing to know! Just like stars are always there but we can't see those until it gets dark at night and if it is cloudy or rainy they are not in evidence. Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply Shuhak and Happy Tuesday!  :)
      February 5, 2019 1:53 AM MST
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  • 10778
    Rainbows are around only when water (or ice crystals) and sunlight are present.  If you position yourself between the water and the sun, you can see them when you water (mist to droplet watering, as with a sprinkler), and in the mist around waterfalls.

    Prisms should work in any window that faces the sun.  However, it depends on the sun's angle where the refracted light ends up (walls, floors or ceiling) and when (time of day/year)  This post was edited by Shuhak at February 5, 2019 11:14 AM MST
      February 5, 2019 10:22 AM MST
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  • 113301
    I shall look harder and more often Shuhak. If you say they are there then they are there. Thank you for your reply! :)
      February 5, 2019 11:15 AM MST
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  • 6098
    Have been privileged to see many rainbows - the most recent last fall. 
      February 5, 2019 10:24 AM MST
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