Rainbow is one of the most amazing natural phenomena. What is a rainbow? How does she appear? These questions have interested people at all times. Even Aristotle tried to solve her secret. There are many beliefs and legends associated with it (the road to the other world, the connection between heaven and earth, a symbol of abundance, etc.). Some nations believed that those who walk under the rainbow will change their gender.
Her beauty is amazing and fascinating. Looking at this multi-colored “magic bridge”, I want to believe in miracles. The appearance of a rainbow in the sky warns that bad weather has ended and a clear solar time has come.
When is a rainbow? It can be observed during rain or after a downpour. But for its occurrence, there is not enough lightning and thunder. It appears only if the sun breaks through the clouds. Certain conditions are needed in order to be noticed. It is necessary to be between the rain (it should be in front) and the sun (it is behind). Your eyes, the center of the rainbow and the sun should be on the same line, otherwise you will not see this magic bridge!
Surely many have noticed what happens when a ray of white light falls on a soap bubble or on the edge of a beveled mirror. It is divided into a variety of colors (green, blue, red, yellow, purple, etc.). An object that breaks the beam into its constituent colors is called a prism. And the formed multi-colored line - a spectrum.
So what is a rainbow? This is a curved spectrum, a colored band formed as a result of the separation of a ray of light when passing through raindrops (they are in this case a prism).
The colors of the solar spectrum are arranged in a specific order. On the one hand - red, then orange, next - yellow, green, blue, blue, violet. A rainbow is clearly visible, while raindrops fall evenly and often. The more often, the brighter it is. Thus, three processes take place in a raindrop at once: refraction, reflection and decomposition of light.
Where to see the rainbow? At fountains, waterfalls, against the background of drops sprayed by an irrigation machine, etc. Its location in the sky depends on the position of the sun. You can admire the entire rainbow circle if you are high in the sky. The higher the sun rises above the horizon, the smaller the colored semicircle becomes.
The first attempt to explain what a rainbow is was made in 1611 by Antonio Dominis. His explanation was different from the biblical one, so he was sentenced to death. In 1637, Descartes gave a scientific explanation for this phenomenon based on the refraction and reflection of sunlight. At that time, they still did not know about the decomposition of the beam into a spectrum, that is, dispersion. Therefore, the rainbow of Descartes was white. After 30 years, Newton “colored” her, supplementing her colleague's theory with explanations for the refraction of colored rays in raindrops. Despite the fact that the theory is more than 300 years old, it correctly formulates what a rainbow is, its main features (color arrangement, position of arcs, angular parameters).
It is amazing how the light and water familiar to us create together a completely new, unimaginable beauty, a work of art presented to us by nature. Rainbow always causes a surge of emotions and remains in the memory for a long time.
