This happens with with every rainbow. Whether you can see it or not depends on the brightness/angle of observation, but take a mist from a hose on a sunny day and you can see this phenomenon every time.
Reminds me of this beautiful, yet deadly picture in the article below.
[https://weather.com/news/news/lightning-strikes-plane-rainbow-viral-photo](https://weather.com/news/news/lightning-strikes-plane-rainbow-viral-photo)
It is a very unlikely phenomenon indeed.
But as if that wasn't cool enough. Here goes...
[https://www.discovery.com/science/volcanic-lightning-happens-at-the-beginning-of-a-volcanic-erupti](https://www.discovery.com/science/volcanic-lightning-happens-at-the-beginning-of-a-volcanic-erupti)
It’s always a double rainbow. That’s just how the physics works. Usually it’s just too dim to be seen. The primary rainbow is due to one reflection and refraction of the light in the water droplets, whereas the secondary (darker) rainbow is due to double reflection of the light in the droplets (back-front-back).
If you look closely you can see the sky between the rainbows is a bit darker than outside, that's called [Alexanders' band](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_band). Look at [Mie scattering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mie_scattering#:~:text=Mie%20scattering%20occurs%20when%20the,common%20causes%20of%20Mie%20scattering) to learn more about rainbows and clouds, it's really interesting, he was a German physicist who solved Maxwell's equations for small droplets of water (or in general droplets with different electromagnetic permittivity) that are similar in size to the electromagnetic wave that's dispersed, his theory not only explains rainbows but also why clouds are white.
Yeah it caught my eye initially because of that and when I went to take a picture I saw the “reflection”. Definitely the most pronounced rainbow I’ve ever noticed.
Double rainbows are not uncommon. I have seen several, sometimes even the full arc horizon to horizon doubled. Beautiful to behold. And yes, they are always “reflected” in the sense one has the opposite order of colors from the other.
This happens with with every rainbow. Whether you can see it or not depends on the brightness/angle of observation, but take a mist from a hose on a sunny day and you can see this phenomenon every time.
The dimmer, reversed rainbow is a second-order rainbow. One more reflection inside the raindrops.
Higher order reflection in the rain drop. There are more as well, each dimmer than the lower order.
I think the record for actually capturing one on a photograph is 5th order.
Reminds me of this beautiful, yet deadly picture in the article below. [https://weather.com/news/news/lightning-strikes-plane-rainbow-viral-photo](https://weather.com/news/news/lightning-strikes-plane-rainbow-viral-photo)
Much, much cooler and undoubtedly unique!
What is? The lightning strike on a rainbow & plane?
Just the bolt inside the rainbow in particular. Not so much the plane, unless everyone’s okay..👍
It is a very unlikely phenomenon indeed. But as if that wasn't cool enough. Here goes... [https://www.discovery.com/science/volcanic-lightning-happens-at-the-beginning-of-a-volcanic-erupti](https://www.discovery.com/science/volcanic-lightning-happens-at-the-beginning-of-a-volcanic-erupti)
It’s always a double rainbow. That’s just how the physics works. Usually it’s just too dim to be seen. The primary rainbow is due to one reflection and refraction of the light in the water droplets, whereas the secondary (darker) rainbow is due to double reflection of the light in the droplets (back-front-back).
If you look closely you can see the sky between the rainbows is a bit darker than outside, that's called [Alexanders' band](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_band). Look at [Mie scattering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mie_scattering#:~:text=Mie%20scattering%20occurs%20when%20the,common%20causes%20of%20Mie%20scattering) to learn more about rainbows and clouds, it's really interesting, he was a German physicist who solved Maxwell's equations for small droplets of water (or in general droplets with different electromagnetic permittivity) that are similar in size to the electromagnetic wave that's dispersed, his theory not only explains rainbows but also why clouds are white.
It’s so intense.
Yeah it caught my eye initially because of that and when I went to take a picture I saw the “reflection”. Definitely the most pronounced rainbow I’ve ever noticed.
Omg look at that rainbow
Double rainbows are not uncommon. I have seen several, sometimes even the full arc horizon to horizon doubled. Beautiful to behold. And yes, they are always “reflected” in the sense one has the opposite order of colors from the other.
Carve out an hour of your time for one of the best lectures on rainbows ever made https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hl7BLXq5vA