Refraction in water droplets

The rainbow is probably the most well-known atmospheric phenomenon. But how does it form?

Surely everyone has seen a rainbow created by sunlight. But have you ever spotted a moonbow? We explain what makes this phenomenon so special.

The red rainbow is relatively rare to see and occurs when the sun near the horizon, due to its shallow angle, has a very long light path through the atmosphere in which the spectral colors are filtered out.  

It is widely known that a rainbow can form on the opposite side of the sun. But did you know that there are also rainbows when you look towards the sun?

In rare cases, an additional rainbow can form when sunlight is reflected off a water surface. This is known as a reflected rainbow.  

In the area of the rainbow peak, one sometimes sees split fragments that can run parallel but also abstractly. These require special consideration.  

In a fog bow, sunlight is refracted by water droplets, similar to a rainbow. However, since fog droplets are much smaller and more numerous than rain, the colors overlap, resulting in an almost white arc.  

Rainbows are not only found in the sky; a colorful bow can also appear on morning dew drops.