Rainbows are a very special phenomenon of nature. It is hard not to look at this optical phenomenon and marvel at the end and beginning. Rainbows occur when the light hits water droplets at the right angle. You can spot the beautiful sights of marvellous rainbows near a pond or gigantic waterfalls. While some cultures consider rainbows good luck, others associate them with enchanting folklore. Here are some interesting facts about rainbows for kindergarten kids.
Amazing Fun Facts About Rainbows
1. The word rainbow comes from the Latin phrase arcus pluvius, meaning “rainy arch”.
2. Rainbows are multicoloured arches formed in the sky when sunlight shines through the water droplets of rain. The white light bends and reflects, causing all those beautiful colours.
3. Rainbows are made up of seven colours, known as VIBGYOR.
4. The moon can also create rainbows, known as moonbows.
5. Like rainbows, we even see fogbows which originate when light reflects and refracts through fog.
6. You can never reach the end of a rainbow. This is because rainbows are based on the orientation of the observer and the light source. So, when you move, the rainbow moves too.
7. When you are on the ground, you can only see a semi-circular rainbow. However, if you are flying in an aeroplane, you can see the rainbow in full circle.
8. Rainbows are more frequent in summer and rainy seasons rather than winter.
9. The average rainbow lasts for an hour.
10. The world’s longest rainbow was observed in the mountains of Taipei, Taiwan in 2017. It lasted for about 8 hours and 58 minutes from 6:57 AM until 3:55 PM.
11. Greek Mythology believes that rainbows were created by Iris, the Greek goddess of rainbows. They also believed that rainbows linked humans to Gods.
12. Ancient Japanese believed that rainbows were bridges that helped human ancestors to descend to Earth.
13. Hindu culture believes that the god Indra uses his rainbow bow to shoot arrows of lightning.
14. Irish legend states that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, guarded by a leprechaun.
15. A double rainbow or secondary rainbow appears when light is reflected twice in a raindrop.
16. Red rainbows, also known as monochrome rainbows, appear at sunset or sunrise. During this time, sunlight travels farther in the atmosphere and only shorter wavelengths scatter. Therefore, only the long wavelength of red colours is visible.
17. The visible arch of a rainbow is always a 42-degree angle.
18. The space between double rainbows is known as Alexander’s dark band. It is named after Alexandar of Aphrodiasias who first described it around 200 AD.
FAQs
Five facts about rainbows include that rainbows are actually full circles, they appear when sunlight hits water droplets, double rainbows exist, rainbows last for about an hour, and lastly, there are numerous folktales associated with rainbows.
A rainbow is caused by sunlight entering water droplets and bends as it goes from air to denser water. The light then reflects off inside the droplet, separating it into different colours. When this light exists in the droplet, it makes a rainbow.
Rainbows are made of seven different colours, also known as VIBGYOR.
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