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rainbow science definition
An arc-shaped spectrum of color seen in the sky opposite the Sun, especially after rain, caused by the refraction and reflection of sunlight by droplets of water suspended in the air. Secondary rainbows that are larger and paler sometimes appear within the primary arc with the colors reversed (red being inside). These result from two reflections and refractions of a light ray inside a droplet.
rainbow
In a primary rainbow, light is refracted upon entering the raindrop, reflected off the back of the raindrop, then refracted as it exits. The angle between the ray of sunlight that strikes the drop and the rays of varying wavelengths that leave the drop ranges from 40° for violet to 42° for red. (Angles in this diagram are approximate.)
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