A rainbow is an arc of spectral colors, usually identified as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, that appears in the sky opposite the sun as a result of the refractive dispersion of sunlight in drops of rain or mist.
You can make your own rainbow using one of the various methods listed below.
Water Glass Method
1Fill a glass with water.
2Place the glass on a table in front of a sunny window.
3Place a sheet of paper on the floor. It could be any light color. White might be best, but try any color you prefer.
4Wet the window with hot water.
5Adjust the glass and the paper until you see a rainbow.
1Take a CD. Wipe it to make sure it is not dusty so it will look better.
2Place it on a flat surface, label side down, under a light or in front of a window.
3Look at the CD, and see the rainbow.
4Hold the CD in between your fingers and move to see how the colors move.
1Find a piece of white paper. Fold it in half, and cut a little triangle with a pair of scissors.
2Fill a glass with water. A fishbowl, or other clear container will also work well.
3Tape a flashlight on the hole in the piece of paper.
4Hold the paper up with the flashlight bar.
5Turn on the flashlight directly at the glass of water.
6(Bam!) A rainbow has appeared.
Complete circle rainbow with the mist method
1Another mist method is to use a manual car wash wand that can quickly cover a very large area with mist due to the highly pressurized water.
2Turn your back to the mid afternoon sun or later, as when the lower the sun is to the horizon, the easier it is to see the entire effect.
3Quickly spray a large area, until you start to see a rainbow appearing.
4Then merely follow the arc of the rainbow, misting in an entire circle to see the rainbow as a "complete circle rainbow".
5Depending upon the angle of the sunlight, it might be necessary to crouch down low so your shadow does not hide part of the rainbow.
Note: A fun activity is to stand under a very large sprinkler, such as an agricultural sized sprinkler, on a sunny afternoon. Stand with your back to the sun. As the water comes over you, open your eyes and you will see a circle rainbow that starts at your feet and circles over your head. The excitement comes both from being showered with cold water and seeing this amazing rainbow!
How is a rainbow created?
- A rainbow is formed when white light is dispersed into its component colours which are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo. You usually see a rainbow after rain or at places near a waterfall because water droplets are suspended in the air, causing sunlight to disperse.
Why do I need sunlight in order to create a rainbow?
- The light emitted from the sun has white light, which is actually a mixture of different colors. When the sunlight refracts with the water droplets in the air, the white light disperses in form of different colors of the spectrum.
- A circle rainbow is a rare phenomena rarely seen unless you are in an aircraft or a very high vantage point from where you can look down on a rainbow. A rainbow seen in nature from the ground has an arc too big to see the entire circle as it is a mile or more away, but a rainbow you mist your self is only a couple of feet away, and is small enough to make a complete circle.
Things You'll Need
- Piece of light colored paper
- Water hose
- The Sun
Sources and Citations
In other languages:
Italiano: Creare un Arcobaleno, Español: hacer un arcoiris, Deutsch: Einen Regenbogen machen, Português: Fazer um Arco Íris, Français: faire un arc‐en‐ciel, Nederlands: Een regenboog maken, Русский: сделать радугу, Bahasa Indonesia: Membuat Pelangi, Čeština: Jak si vyrobit duhu, 中文: 造出彩虹
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