Let no one who loves be unhappy; even love unreturned has its rainbow. James M. Barrie
The Fire Rainbow
So-called “fire rainbows” are neither on fire nor are they rainbows, but they certainly are beautiful think Will and Guy.
Photo by: Ken Rotberg
The Fire Rainbow These fire-like patterns are technically known as iridescent clouds, a relatively rare phenomenon caused by clouds of water droplets of nearly uniform size, according to a release by NASA. These clouds diffract, or bend, light in a similar manner, which separates out light into different wavelengths, or colours.
Will regularly chooses these gorgeous pictures as background to his computer.
Over The Rainbow
Will and Guy suspect that the central character in this photo [dressed in red] is singing, “Over the Rainbow”.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops.
That’s where you’ll find me.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then – oh, why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh, why can’t I?
From the film “The Wizard Of Oz” and sung by Judy Garland. Songwriters: Arlen, Harold; Harburg, E.Y.
Super-Bright Rainbow
In the photo to the right sheep seem to be gathering around the end of an particularly intense rainbow. Guy thinks this could be a biblical scene, all we need is for Moses to wander into shot.
In reality Jason Connolly took the photo as he walked up Latterbarrow hill, in Cumbria, England.
The bright sunshine cut through the heavy rain to produce an arc of vivid colours over the Cumbrian countryside.
Rainbow Halo Picture
A rainbow halo around the sun, spotted and photographed over Johannesburg, South Africa. The ring is caused by the sun’s rays refracting off ice crystals within thin cirrus clouds.
Photo left by Nardus Nel
Two More Pics of Sunshine Rainbow Magic – or is that 2,3,4 or 6 Rainbows?
An acronym, or a sentence from an acronym helps, to remember the seven rainbow colours and their sequence. ROYGBIV, ‘Richard of York goes galloping in vain’. Red Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Indigo and Violet.
How Sunlight Creates a Rainbow
What causes a rainbow is reflection of light in the water drops. As water droplets are suspended in the atmosphere and the sun is shining, so the rays are distorted producing a beautiful rainbow. Actually, the light is reflected against the back of each drop, not once but twice. (On the way in and on the way out of the drop).
Another way of looking at a rainbow is a brief study of light dispersion. Think of light diffraction producing a cone of the rainbow colours. Perhaps the only way to truly understand the rainbow phenomenon is to get a prism and play with rays of sunlight.
See diagram right for the idea.
Photo of a Rare Inverted, Refracted Rainbow
Exceptional atmospheric conditions created a rare and stunning display in the skies above Cambridge, England. Local astronomer, Jacqueline Mitton, photographed the fabulous sight, caused by sunlight being refracted through ice crystals high in the atmosphere.
This phenomenon is rarely seen outside the polar regions.
A Meteorological Office spokeswoman informed Will and Guy, ‘They are fairly rare. It is convex to the sun and is formed by refraction in suitably-oriented ice crystals and may show vivid rainbow colouring, as in this case.’
Rainbow Bridge
Will is in Heaven Rainbow Leads to Pub
- Please send us your pictures of rainbow formations.
- Meanwhile, see more pictures of a rainbow
