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Why are there rainbows?

Ooh, rainbows happen when the sun shines while it is raining!

Pip’s picture for “Why are there rainbows?”

Pip’s answer

  1. Ooh, rainbows happen when the sun shines while it is raining!
  2. Each raindrop bends sunlight and splits it into all its colors.
  3. Millions of drops together paint a giant curve of color, wonder-ful!

Try it together

Can you draw a big rainbow in the air with your finger?

For grown-ups

Each raindrop acts like a tiny prism. Sunlight bends as it enters the drop, reflects off the back, and bends again on the way out, and each color bends by a slightly different amount. That separates white light into its colors. You always see a rainbow with the sun behind you, at about a 42-degree angle from the point opposite the sun.

Ask your child: Where should the sun be if we want to find a rainbow?

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