Book 7, Question 104
Why Do Rainbows Need Both Sun and Rain?
Rainbows need both sun and rain because sunlight has to pass through raindrops to make colors. Each raindrop bends and reflects light, and splits it into colors. No rain, no classic rainbow!
More fun facts
- Light slows down when it enters water, because water is denser than air. That makes it bend.
- Inside a raindrop, light bounces off the back of the drop and splits into its colors.
- A regular rainbow comes from light reflecting once inside each raindrop.
- Fog and clouds have droplets smaller than raindrops. They can make a fog bow and a colorful ring called a glory.
- A glory can sometimes be seen from an airplane or a tall building.
Sources: NOAA, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Can fog make a rainbow?
Yes. Fog can make a fog bow, because its tiny droplets bend and reflect sunlight too.
What is a glory?
A colorful ring of light made by tiny cloud or fog droplets, sometimes seen from airplanes.