As I am quickly learning, weather in the Pacific Northwest can surprise you! One minute it is raining, the next it is sunny...or perhaps it is raining and sunny at the same time, just to really keep you entertained. It so happened that this combo - rain and sun at the same time - happened several times this week, and I was lucky enough to see a double rainbow Tuesday and Wednesday as a result! In fact, the rainbow I saw Wednesday was the most vibrant rainbow I have ever seen.
Seeing a rainbow is somewhat rare, and that is because a certain set of specific criteria have to be met. First, the sun must be at least partially out, low in the sky, and its rays shining toward some rain. Also, you have to be looking toward the rain with the sun to your back. Getting all this? =) If you do get this setup, then chances are you'll see a rainbow. But what actually happens...how does a rainbow actually form?
With the above setup in place, the sun's rays of light shine into raindrops, and when those rays of light enter the raindrops they are separated into a full spectrum of colors...essentially the colors you see in the rainbow. That's not all though. Once the colors are separated, those colored rays of light bounce off the inside of the raindrops and are reflected toward your eyes. And voila - you have a rainbow! You can see just how impressive rainbows can be from the below photo with Arches National Park (in Utah) clearly visible. [Photo courtesy Colin Braley, Standard-Examiner]

Hope some of you were lucky enough to see our Oregon rainbows this week!

1 Comments

Janet said:

Thanks, beautiful picture! I'm always on the look out for rainbows. But you are right, They are hard to find!!

April 24, 2007 5:17 PM

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