How rainbows form and what shape they really are | Colourful Weather | ABC Australia

If you thought rainbows were shaped like an arch, think again. All you need is water, the sky and sunlight, and you’ve got something that’s colourful - with a pot of gold at each end.
What is it? A rainbow! And there are no pots of gold. There couldn’t be because rainbows don’t actually… that would be giving it away. You’ll have to watch the video to find out!
You’ll also find out what happens to sunlight inside a raindrop, why rainbow colours are always in the same order and what the real shape of a rainbow is. Tip - it’s not an arch!
Colourful Weather brings you the fun and fascinating science behind five very colourful events we can see in the sky. Hosted by Nate Byrne, from ABC NEWS Breakfast, and meteorologists from the Bureau of Meteorology, this is weather presented for kids in a way they can understand and get excited about.
Colourful Weather is a collaboration of the ABC and the Bureau of Meteorology.
Image credit:
NASA
Motion Array
Pixabay
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[@BillSmith-fo9jj]

Rainbows are gorgeous. I just noticed one this afternoon w my roommate John

[@gnouyer]

My favourite reason for watching morning news. Nate!!!

[@mackdaniel6790]

Now explain double rainbows !

[@TheWP]

This is the best and quickest (Cole's notes) explanation of a rainbow. Thank you.

[@wm3293]

1 of the best places to see rainbows is Niagara Falls on a Sunny day you are guaranteed to see rainbows at the American and Horseshoe Falls i have seen some beautiful huge rainbows there over the years

[@rovexgplayz2138]

Very interesting

[@kayleee_011]

This helped a lot!

[@sioncruzvasquez5900]

This is a very awesome explanation!

[@KabakubyaPaul-vt4jy]

The explanation is great

[@Royallight]

We watched this in our school and it was very fun to watch

[@hayleamo1998]

Very well made!!!

[@the-random-ones6982]

Cool! Thanks a million, mate!

[@abcaustralia]

You're welcome!

[@biokkkkk]

Hi

[@junnoynay7788]

I just spotted a long arc double rainbow 🌈 yesterday

[@TheGoldenDogOfficial]

This is where i come!

[@bendonovan9244]

I love 🌈, I can even say their seven colors in Spanish, rojo, Spanish for red, naranja, Spanish for orange, amarillo, Spanish for yellow, verde, Spanish for green, azul, Spanish for blue, índigo/índiga, Spanish for indigo, and violeta, Spanish for violet!

[@tolsbee]

Cool

[@mrtdrakon25]

WOW

[@s_u_n_j_a_y]

🥰

[@jeremiahragira8311]

yah I know coo rite wow

[@protondavis8901]

Sounds good until you notice 3 rainbows in the sky.

[@havenbastion]

I was hoping it was a sygnoid ellipses or something... :/

[@battlefieldopen6232]

If that's true, I have a photo 0f two rainbows one appearing behind the first rainbow. Send me your email and I will send you the photo. Now unless we have two suns.

[@tracesprite6078]

Au contraire, mon ami. Years ago I drove my car through the end of a rainbow which was on the road in front of me.

[@jaynewton5278]

Why is it that whe we see a rainbow it is always in the distance, or to the left or right or behind us. Why can't we walk under a rainbow. Hmm.

[@lyviannenolet968]

thats bc we can only see rainbows when the suns behind us and at a certain angle

[@vincentho3964]

"Science" always pontificate about how a water droplet (or a prism) reflects the 7 colours of the rainbow. But it cannot convincingly explain how the colours is displayed as a semi-circle or even a circle. It is TOO PROUD TO ADMIT THAT "SCIENCE" DOES NOT KNOW.

[@cjnav7832]

yeah sure and the world is round :p

[@khoinacho]

Florentino

[@sweetcorn8166]

🌋

[@nowistime8070]

so a double rainbow means two suns

[@TheJelac]

No. Double rainbow means that second rainbow is reflection of first rainbow on glass dome.

[@desireetuiavii3602]

i kinda knoq that already

[@lazeppelini123]

Still don't understand

[@AAB-nh5ni]

Allahu Akbar ❤️

[@desireetuiavii3602]

kinda Xd

[@felicitytoad]

😮🌈🌈🌈🌈🧑‍🚀🤸👐🫥

[@endinvoluntaryhomelessness8280]

Just over 3 minutes to completely debunk the bible story of the "first rainbow". Nice!

[@gottogo8675]

Nope

[@The_Average8]

EWWWWWWW

[@derekwang9749]

I hate this!

[@anica1023]

Then why r u here?

[@anonymousperson8487]

Who cares after what the alphabet people did to it

[@yoshihiro_exe]

Cool