Rainbows are a beautiful natural phenomenon caused by the interaction of sunlight and water droplets in the atmosphere. When sunlight passes through a raindrop, it is refracted (bent), then reflected off the inside of the drop, and finally refracted again as it exits. This process splits the light into its different colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet creating the arc we see in the sky.

Each color bends at a slightly different angle, which is why the colors appear separated and in a specific order. To see a rainbow, the sun must be behind you and the rain in front of you. Though it may seem like rainbows exist in a specific place, they are actually optical illusions no two people see exactly the same rainbow. Understanding how rainbows form adds even more wonder to witnessing one in nature. Shutdown123