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Credit & Copyright: John Entwistle
Explanation:
Yes, but can your rainbow do this?
After the remnants of
Hurricane Florence passed over the
Jersey Shore,
New Jersey,
USA in 2018,
the Sun came out in one direction but something quite
unusual appeared in the opposite direction: a
hall of
rainbows.
Over the course of a next half hour,
to the delight of the photographer and his daughter, vibrant
supernumerary rainbows faded in and out, with at least
five captured in
this featured single shot.
Supernumerary rainbows only form when falling
water droplets are all nearly the same size
and typically less than a millimeter across.
Then, sunlight will
not only reflect from inside the raindrops, but
interfere,
a wave phenomenon similar to
ripples on a pond
when a stone is thrown in.
In fact,
supernumerary rainbows
can only be explained with waves,
and their noted existence in the early 1800s was considered early evidence of
light's wave nature.
Your Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (post 1995)
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: rainbow
Publications with words: rainbow
See also: