SUN AND RAIN : A RECIPE FOR RAINBOWS - Rainbows are basically sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors for us to see. Because a rainbow is an optical phenomenon (for you sci-fi fans, that's sort of like a hologram) it isn't something that can be touched or that exists in a particular place. Ever wondered where the word "rainbow" comes from? The "rain-" part of it stands for the raindrops required to make it, whereas "-bow" refers to its arc shape. Rainbows tend to pop up during a sunshower so if you guessed sun and rain are two key ingredients to making a rainbow, you're correct. Rainbows form when the following conditions come together: The sun is behind the observer's position and is no more than 42° above the horizon It's raining in front of the observer. Water droplets are floating in the air (this is why we see rainbows right after it rains). The sky is clear enough of clouds for the rainbow to be seen. The rainbow-making process begins when sunlight shines on a raindrop. As the light rays from the sun strike and enter a water droplet, their speed slows down a bit (because water is denser than air). This causes light's path to bend or "refract." Visible light is made up of different color wavelengths (which appear white when mixed together) Light travels in a straight line unless something reflects it, bends (refracts) it, or scatters it. When any of these things happen, the different color wavelengths are separated and can each be seen. So, when a ray of light enters a raindrop and bends, it separates into its component color wavelengths. The light continues traveling through the drop until it bounces (reflects) off the back of the droplet and exits the opposite side of it at a 42° angle.

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Sun and Rain : A Recipe For Rainbows

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Rainbows are basically sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors – it is an optical phenomenon - it isn't something that can be touched or that exists in a particular place. As the light rays from the sun strike and enter a water droplet, their speed slows down a bit. This causes light's path to bend or "refract." When any of these things happen, the different color wavelengths are separated and can each be seen. So, when a ray of light enters a raindrop and bends, it separates into its component color wavelengths. As long as there's bright sunlight, suspended water droplets, and you're positioned at the proper viewing angle, it's possible a rainbow could be within view! Whether you believe they're a sign of God's promise, or there's a pot of gold waiting for you at their end, rainbows are one of nature's most happy-inducing displays.  

By Tiffany Means

Whether you believe they're a sign of God's promise, or there's a pot of gold waiting for you at their end, rainbows are one of nature's most happy-inducing displays.

Why do we so rarely see rainbows?

And why are they here one minute and gone the next? Click on to explore the answers to these and other rainbow-related questions.

What Is a Rainbow?

Rainbows are basically sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors for us to see.

Because a rainbow is an optical phenomenon (for you sci-fi fans, that's sort of like a hologram) it isn't something that can be touched or that exists in a particular place.

Ever wondered where the word "rainbow" comes from?

The "rain-" part of it stands for the raindrops required to make it, whereas "-bow" refers to its arc shape.

What Ingredients Are Needed to Make a Rainbow?

Rainbows tend to pop up during a sunshower (rain and sun at the same time) so if you guessed sun and rain are two key ingredients to making a rainbow, you're correct.

Rainbows form when the following conditions come together:

The sun is behind the observer's position and is no more than 42° above the horizon

It's raining in front of the observer

Water droplets are floating in the air (this is why we see rainbows right after it rains)

The sky is clear enough of clouds for the rainbow to be seen.

The Role of Raindrops

The rainbow-making process begins when sunlight shines on a raindrop.

As the light rays from the sun strike and enter a water droplet, their speed slows down a bit (because water is denser than air). This causes light's path to bend or "refract."

Before we go any further, let's mention a few things about light:

Visible light is made up of different color wavelengths (which appear white when mixed together)

Light travels in a straight line unless something reflects it, bends (refracts) it, or scatters it.

When any of these things happen, the different color wavelengths are separated and can each be seen.

So, when a ray of light enters a raindrop and bends, it separates into its component color wavelengths.

The light continues traveling through the drop until it bounces (reflects) off the back of the droplet and exits the opposite side of it at a 42° angle.

As the light (still separated into its range of colors) exits the water droplet, it speeds up as it travels back out into the less dense air and is refracted (a second time) downward to one's eyes.

Apply this process to a whole collection of raindrops in the sky and voilá, you get an entire rainbow.

Why Rainbows Follow ROYGBIV

Ever noticed how a rainbow's colors (from outside edge to inside) always go red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet?

To find out why this is, let's consider raindrops at two levels, one above the other.

In a previous diagram, we see that red light refracts out of the water droplet at steeper angles to the ground.

So, when one looks at a steep angle, the red light from the higher drops travels at the correct angle to meet one's eyes.

(The other color wavelengths exit these drops at more shallow angles, and thus, pass overhead.)

This is why red appears at the top of a rainbow.

Now consider the lower raindrops.

When gazing at shallower angles, all droplets within this line of sight direct violet light to one's eye, while the red light is directed out of the peripheral vision and downward at one's feet.

This is why the color violet appears at the rainbow's bottom.

The raindrops in-between these two levels bounce different colors of light (in order from next longest to next shortest wavelength, top to bottom) so an observer sees the full-color spectrum.

Are Rainbows Really Bow-Shaped?

We now know how rainbows form, but how about where they get their bow shape?

Since raindrops are relatively circular in shape, the reflection they create is also curved.

Believe it or not, a full rainbow is actually a full circle, only we don't see the other half of it because the ground gets in the way.

The lower the sun is to the horizon, the more of the full circle we're able to see.

Airplanes offer a full view since an observer could look both upward and downward to see the complete circular bow.

Double Rainbows

A few slides ago we learned how light goes through a three-step journey (refraction, reflection, refraction) inside of a raindrop to form a primary rainbow.

But sometimes, light hits the back of a raindrop twice instead of just once.

This "re-reflected" light exits the drop at a different angle (50° instead of 42°) resulting in a secondary rainbow which appears above the primary bow.

Because light undergoes two reflections inside the raindrop, and fewer rays go through the 4-step it's intensity is reduced by that second reflection and as a result, it's colors aren't as bright.

Another difference between single and double rainbows is that the color scheme for double rainbows is reversed. (Its colors go violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red.)

This is because violet light from higher raindrops enters one's eyes, while red light from the same drop passes over one's head.

At the same time, red light from lower raindrops enters one's eyes and the red light from these drops is directed at one's feet and isn't seen.

And that dark band in-between the two arcs? It's a result of differing angles of reflection of light through the water droplets. (Meteorologists call it Alexander's dark band.)

Triple Rainbows

In the spring of 2015, social media lit up when a Glen Cove, NY resident shared a mobile photo of what appeared to be a quadruple rainbow.

While possible in theory, triple and quadruple rainbows are extremely rare.

Not only would it require multiple reflections within the raindrop, but each iteration would produce a fainter bow, which would make tertiary and quarternary rainbows quite hard to see.

When they do form, triple rainbows are typically seen up against the inside of the primary arc (as seen in the photo above), or as a small connecting arc between the primary and secondary.

Rainbows Not in the Sky

Rainbows aren't only seen in the sky. A backyard water sprinkler. Mist at the base of a splashing waterfall.

These are all ways you can spot a rainbow.

As long as there's bright sunlight, suspended water droplets, and you're positioned at the proper viewing angle, it's possible a rainbow could be within view!

It's also possible to create a rainbow without involving water. Holding a crystal prism up to a sunny window is one such example.

Tiffany Means

Meteorology Expert

Education

B.S., Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, University of North Carolina

Introduction

Studied atmospheric sciences and meteorology at the University of North Carolina

Former administrative assistant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Member of the American Meteorological Society

Experience

Tiffany Means is a former writer for ThoughtCo who contributed articles about weather for five years. She has interned with the domestic and international weather departments at CNN, written monthly climate reports for NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and participated in a number of science outreach events, including the Science Olympiad Competition. Means has personally experienced such weather greats as the Blizzard of 1993 and the floods of Hurricane Francis (2004) and Ivan (2004).

Education

Bachelor's degree in atmospheric sciences and meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/sun-rain-rainbows-3444159

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BODY LANGUAGE - When we talk about body language, we look at the subtle cues we send and receive to each other nonverbally. Many people want to know how to read body language. We are very drawn to looking at and observing the face to understand someone’s hidden emotions. They are an essential part of body language. Proxemics is a term for how our body moves in space. We are constantly looking at how someone is moving — are they gesturing? Leaning? Moving towards or away from us? Body movements tell us a lot about preferences and nervousness. They are instrumental body language cues. Clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, are all extensions of our body language. Not only do certain colors and styles send signals to others, how we interact with our ornaments is also telling. Is someone a fidgeter with their watch or ring? Do they constantly self-preen or touch their hair? These are all body language cues.

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Body Language

What It Is & How To Read It

Vanessa Van Edwards

Body Language is jam packed with interesting science. In this comprehensive introduction we’ll show you the basics of body language, how to read other’s body language, and how to improve your own.

What is Body Language?

When we talk about body language, we look at the subtle cues we send and receive to each other nonverbally.

Many people want to know how to read body language. To get started, body language can be broken down into a few different channels:

Facial Expressions:

Researcher Dr. Paul Ekman discovered 7 universal microexpressions — or short facial gestures every human makes when they feel an intense emotion.

We are very drawn to looking at and observing the face to understand someone’s hidden emotions. They are an essential part of body language.

Body Proxemics:

Proxemics is a term for how our body moves in space. We are constantly looking at how someone is moving — are they gesturing? Leaning? Moving towards or away from us?

Body movements tell us a lot about preferences and nervousness. They are instrumental body language cues.

Ornaments:

Clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, are all extensions of our body language.

Not only do certain colors and styles send signals to others, how we interact with our ornaments is also telling.

Is someone a fidgeter with their watch or ring? Do they constantly self-preen or touch their hair? These are all body language cues.

Body Language Principles

How To Read People’s Body Language

There are actually two sides to reading body language in others.

Decoding is your ability to read people’s cues. It is how you interpret hidden emotions, information and personality from someone’s nonverbal.

Encoding is your ability to send cues to other people. This is how you control your personal branding, what first impression you give and how you make people feel when they are with you.

Vanessa Van Edwards is a national best selling author and behavioral investigator with Science of People.

Vanessa is Lead Investigator at Science of People. She is the bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Her book has been translated into 15 different languages and more than 20 million people watch her on YouTube.

Vanessa shares tangible skills to improve interpersonal communication and leadership, including her insights on how people work. She’s developed a science-based framework for understanding different personalities to improve our EQ and help us communicate with colleagues, clients and customers.

She works with entrepreneurs, growing businesses, and trillion dollar companies; and has been featured on CNN, BBC, CBS, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, the Today Show and many more.

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/body-language/

HOW COLORS AFFECT HUMAN BEHAVIOR - Color perception is very subjective, as different people have different ideas about and responses to colors. Several factors influence color perception, which makes it difficult to determine if color alone impacts our emotions and actions. Factors that influence color perception include age, gender, and culture. In some cultures, for example, white is associated with happiness and purity. While no direct cause and effect relationship between color and behavior has been found, some generalizations about colors and what they may symbolize have been determined. Colors including red, yellow, and orange are considered warm colors and are thought to stimulate excited emotions. Cool colors are found on the blue end of the visible light spectrum and include blue, violet, and green. These colors are associated with calmness, coolness, and tranquility. Color symbolism is often employed in the field of graphic design and publishing to evoke certain emotions.

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Colors And Human Behavior

Color Vision. 

How Colors Affect Human Behavior

by Regina Bailey 

Color psychology is the study of how colors affect human behavior, mood, or physiological processes.

Colors are thought to influence our buying choices, our feelings, and even our memories. Ideas related to color psychology are heavily implemented in the areas of marketing and design.

Companies choose colors that they believe will motivate customers to buy their products and improve brand awareness.

Colors have even been used in color therapy techniques to treat various diseases.

Color Perception

Color psychology is a relatively new area of study that faces several challenges.

A major difficulty that arises when investigating this topic is determining how to actually measure the effects of color.

Color perception is very subjective, as different people have different ideas about and responses to colors.

Several factors influence color perception, which makes it difficult to determine if color alone impacts our emotions and actions.

Factors that influence color perception include age, gender, and culture. In some cultures, for example, white is associated with happiness and purity.

In a situation where a woman is wearing a white wedding dress, is she happy because she is influenced by the color white or because she is getting married?

To someone from a different culture, wearing white may signify sadness. This is because in those cultures, white is associated with grief and death.

These and similar factors must be considered when investigating the influence of colors on human emotions and behavior.

Color Associations

While no direct cause and effect relationship between color and behavior has been found, some generalizations about colors and what they may symbolize have been determined.

Colors including red, yellow, and orange are considered warm colors and are thought to stimulate excited emotions.

Cool colors are found on the blue end of the visible light spectrum and include blue, violet, and green. These colors are associated with calmness, coolness, and tranquility.

Color symbolism is often employed in the field of graphic design and publishing to evoke certain emotions.

Whether influenced by age, gender, culture, or not, research studies indicate that colors do have some impact on physiology, behavior, and mood in some individuals.

Red

Ideas, attitudes, and emotions associated with the color red include:

·                     Warning

·                     Love

·                     Courage

·                     Aggression

·                     Rage

Red is the longest wavelength of light on the visible light spectrum.

In western cultures, red is associated with power, control, and strength. It also signals danger and triggers alertness.

Red on traffic lights signal drivers to be alert and to stop. Some animals, such as snakes, have red coloration to indicate that they are dangerous and deadly.

Red also signifies passion and invokes the fight or flight response. This instinct is triggered by the brain's amygdala when we are confronted with danger or a threatening situation. It is what causes us to either fight or flee.

Red is thought to raise metabolism and blood pressure, which are needed to prepare for action during an alarming situation.

Blue

Associations with the color blue include:

·                     Trust

·                     Efficiency

·                     Coolness

·                     Security

·                     Sadness

Blue is associated with calmness and tranquility. It is a symbol of logic, communication, and intelligence.

It is linked with low stress, low temperature, and low pulse rate. Blue is also associated with a lack of warmth, emotional distance, and indifference.

In spite of the negative associations, blue is often chosen as the most popular color in research surveys worldwide.

In research studies, blue light has also been found to reset our circadian rhythms or sleep-wake cycles.

It is the blue wavelengths of light from the sun that inhibit the pineal gland from releasing melatonin during the day. Melatonin signals the body that it is time to sleep. Blue light stimulates us to stay awake.

Yellow

Yellow is vivid and lively. Associations with yellow include:

·                     Energy

·                     Hope

·                     Honor

·                     Fear

·                     Frailness

Yellow is a bright color and the most visible color to the eye. It is associated with happiness, friendliness, and signifies competence.

Yellow is the color of optimism and creativity. It attracts our attention and signifies caution as yellow is often used along with black on traffic signs, taxis, and school buses.

Interestingly, yellow is also associated with fear, cowardice, and sickness.

Green

Green symbolizes ideas such as:

·                     Health

·                     Compassion

·                     Favor

·                     Ambition

·                     Passivity

Green is located between yellow and blue on the visible light spectrum and represents balance.

It is the color of springtime and is commonly associated with growth, life, fertility, and nature.

Green represents safety and is linked to prosperity, wealth, good fortune, and finances.

It is considered a relaxing, soothing color that is thought to have a calming effect and to relieve stress. 

Negative associations with green include greed, jealousy, apathy, and lethargy.

Orange

Associations with the color orange include:

·                     Wisdom

·                     Pleasure

·                     Desire

·                     Pride

·                     Loneliness

Orange is found between red and yellow on the visible light spectrum.

It is thought to symbolize qualities that are a combination of the high-energy color red and the emotionally upbeat color yellow. Orange is associated with warmth, enthusiasm, and encouragement.

Orange is thought to affect appetite by increasing hunger. It also is thought to increase mental activity and acumen. In research studies, exposure to orange light has been shown to improve cognition and alertness.

Orange is the primary color of fall and is also associated with summer. Light shades of orange are considered welcoming, while dark shades are identified with dishonesty.

Purple

Purple represents ideas and attitudes related to:

·                     Wealth

·                     Dignity

·                     Wisdom

·                     Arrogance

·                     Impatience

Purple or violet is the shortest wavelength on the visible light spectrum. It is a combination of blue and red and represents nobility, power, and royalty.

Purple communicates a sense of worth, quality, and value. It is also associated with spirituality, sacredness, and gracefulness.

Light purple colors represent romance and delicateness, while dark purple symbolizes sorrow, fear, and apprehensiveness.

Pink

Pink is considered a fun color that also represents:

·                     Joyfulness

·                     Sweetness

·                     Calmness

·                     Passiveness

·                     Lack of willpower

Pink is the color most associated with femininity. It is tied to ideas of happiness, love, playfulness, and warmth.

Pink is also related to harmony and closeness. Light pink signifies sensitivity and kindness, while hot pink represents passion and flirtatiousness.

Pink is thought to have a calming effect and many prisons have pink holding cells in an attempt to reduce violent behavior among inmates. 

Negative associations with the color pink include immaturity, physical weakness, and low self-confidence.

Black

Associations with black include:

·                     Aggression

·                     Gloom

·                     Security

·                     Coldness

·                     Emptiness

Black absorbs all wavelengths of the visible light spectrum. It does not reflect color and adding black to a color creates different shades of the color.

Black is viewed as mysterious, and in many cultures, it is associated with fear, death, the unknown, and evil.

It also represents power, authority, and sophistication.

Black signifies seriousness, independence, and is commonly associated with sadness and negativity.

White

White is perceived as delicate and pure. Other associations with white include:

·                     Perfection

·                     Sterility

·                     Cleanliness

·                     Goodness

·                     Coldness

White is the opposite of black and reflects all wavelengths of the visible light spectrum. When added to black, white lightens its color.

In eastern cultures, white is associated with grief and death. In western cultures, it represents purity, innocence, and sterility.

White is also associated with safety, spirituality, and faith. Negative associations with white include isolation, emptiness, and a sense of inaccessibility.

How We See Color

We don't actually see colors with our eyes. We see colors with our brains.

Our eyes are important for detecting and responding to light, but it is the brain's visual center in the occipital lobes that processes visual information and assigns color. The colors we see are determined by the wavelength of light that is reflected.

Visible color wavelengths range from about 380 nanometers (nm) to about 750 nanometers. Different colors along the visible light spectrum have different wavelengths.

For example, red has wavelengths ranging from 620-750 nm, yellow from 570-590 nm, and blue from 450-495 nm.

Our eyes are equipped with special photoreceptors called rods and cones. 

Rods are more sensitive to light than cones and allow us to see in dim light. Rods are not able to detect color. 

Cones detect a range of color light wavelengths. 

Our eyes have three types of cones: blue, green, and red. The red cones are most sensitive to red wavelengths, blue cones to blue wavelengths, and green cones to green wavelengths.

When a color is reflected from an object, the light wavelength hits the eyes and cones send signals to the visual cortex of the brain for processing.

Our brain associates the wavelength with a color. Although our eyes have three cone types, the different wavelengths of light detected by the cones overlap.

The brain integrates these overlapping wavelength signals sent from cones enabling us to distinguish between millions of different colors.

Regina Bailey

Introduction

Biology expert for ThoughtCo (formerly About Education) since 1997

Author of the forward to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Cloning

Experience

Regina is the owner of a content development firm specializing in the development of biology and science-related content. She has written about biology for ThoughtCo (formerly About Education) since 1997.

Regina's expertise has been featured and/or referenced in Kaplan AP Biology 2016, The Internet for Cellular and Molecular Biologists, and The Seven Disciplines of Wellness: The Spiritual Connection to Good Health.

Regina also wrote the forward to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Cloning.

Education

Regina holds a B.A. in biology from Emory University. 

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/color-psychology-and-human-behavior-4151666

Macro of water drop on white feather.

Close up of raven in Yosemite Valley.

Woman Blowing Large, Pink Bubble Gum Bubble

King's Crown on a Purple Cloth

 Orange Maple Leaves in Autumn

Green Clovers

Yellow Rose. 

 Scenic View Of Sea Against Clear Blue Sky.

Red python snake coiled, Indonesia