29 Multicolored Rainbow Facts

By James Israelsen, Associate Writer

Published January 6, 2021

Before the invention of electricity, the only electromagnetic wavelengths present on earth in any significant amount were those corresponding to the colors seen in a rainbow._[2]
Rainbows are a solely optical phenomenon rather than actual physical objects with spatial dimensions and mass._[4]
Rainbows, which are distorted images of the sun, would appear as complete circles if the earth's horizon did not block our view._[4]
A rainbow's arc is relative to the position of the person observing it, so it is impossible for two people to actually see the exact same rainbow._[4]
Rainbows are the optical result of rays of sunlight being bent as they pass through falling raindrops._[4]
The bow of all rainbows is always seen at an angle between 40 to 42 degrees above an imaginary line passing through the observer's head._[4]
Rainbows become larger the closer the sun is to the horizon._[4]
A parhelion, or sun dog, is similar to a rainbow but is caused by sunlight refracting through the ice crystals in clouds._[7]

While it isn't as colorful as a rainbow, a sun dog has its own splendor

If a person has a high enough vantage point, such as on top of a mountain or from an aircraft, they may be able to observe a rainbow as a full circle._[4]
"Moonbows" are faintly-colored rainbows that are created by the passing of the moon's light through water droplets._[4]
The legend about leprechauns hiding pots of gold at the end of rainbows might have begun because rainbows don't ever touch the ground, so their "end" can never be found._[7]

Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side? Rainbows are visions, they're only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.

- "Rainbow Connection" The Muppet Movie

Laser laboratories have succeeded in creating two-hundred-order rainbows—rainbows created by light that has been reflected 200 times in a single water drop before passing on._[4]
Perhaps the most famous occurrence of rainbows in mythology is when the God of the Old Testament puts the rainbow in the sky as a way of assuring Noah that He will never flood the entire earth again._[3][9]
Secondary rainbows, in which the normal order of colors is reversed, can occur when light rays are reflected twice within each water droplet._[4]

The colors actually range across the whole visible spectrum

Although humans perceive a rainbow to be divided into distinct bands of color, black-and-white photographs reveal that rainbows are actually one continuous spectrum of colors shading into each other._[4]
In Irish lore, a rainbow marks the spot where a leprechaun has buried its stolen pot of gold._[9]
A 14th-century German monk, Theodoric of Freiburg, first explained the scientific cause of rainbows in 1304._[1]
In some Aboriginal myths, the rainbow is a giant snake who comes to stop rain that was sent by enemies of the tribe._[9]
A serpent representing a rainbow was found in 10,000-year-old Australian rock art._[9]
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that rainbows were the messenger goddess Iris in her visible form._[9]
In Buddhism, the rainbow is sometimes used to represent the state one reaches just before achieving Nirvana._[9]
The mnemonic device "Roy G Biv" helps children to memorize the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Blue and indigo are so close, however, that few people can distinguish them._[8]
In Norse myth, a burning rainbow called the Bifrost connected Asgard to the realm of humans._[9]

You have to get pretty lucky to spot a trio like this

In addition to single rainbows, they can appear in doubles, triples, and even quadruples._[6]
The ancient Chinese believed that rainbows were cracks resulting from a goddess throwing stones into the sky._[9]
According to Bulgarian lore, a person who walks directly under a rainbow will experience a change of gender._[9]
In some Meso-American cultures, rainbows are such bad omens that children are sent into hiding when one appears._[9]
The rainbow was first used as a symbol of the gay movement when a drag queen displayed a rainbow flag in 1978._[9]
In addition to the Judy Garland version, the Oscar-winning song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" has been covered by Ariana Grande, Willie Nelson, the cast of Glee, and Eva Cassidy—to name a few. Perhaps the most popular version was performed on the ukulele by Hawaiian Israel Kamakawio'ole._[5]