RAINBOWS

In the past, people believed that rainbows were made by magic. Some even believed that the rainbow was a bridge between heaven and earth used by the gods. They also believed that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Nowadays, we know that rainbows occur when sunlight shines on drops of rain. You can see a rainbow when you stand with the sun behind you and the rain falling in front of you.

Although sunlight doesn't seem to have any color, it is actually made up of many colors. When it enters a drop of rain, sunlight separates into violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Raindrops reflect the colors in sunlight. Because the colors blend together, only four or five are usually visible.

Numerous rays of sunlight reflecting off raindrops, form a shining, curved rainbow. Often a faint second rainbow appears outside the first. Its colors will be in the opposite order to those of the brighter rainbow.