One morning last spring, I woke to this:
So I decided to try and find out what phenomena might cause such a beautiful gift…
Inquiring minds want to know…
Wikipedia (another beautiful gift) says:
In a so-called “primary rainbow” (the lowest, and also normally the brightest rainbow) the arc of a rainbow shows red on the outer (or upper) part of the arc, and violet on the inner section. This rainbow is caused by light being refracted then reflected once in droplets of water. In a double rainbow, a second arc may be seen above and outside the primary arc, and has the order of its colours reversed (red faces inward toward the other rainbow, in both rainbows). This second rainbow is caused by light reflecting twice inside water droplets. The region between a double rainbow is dark, and is known as “Alexander’s band” or “Alexander’s dark band”. The reason for this dark band is that, while light below the primary rainbow comes from droplet reflection, and light above the upper (secondary) rainbow also comes from droplet reflection, there is no mechanism for the region between a double rainbow to show any light reflected from water drops.
Cool, huh?
One word: beautiful!
THis is beautiful, the rainbows over the mountains. Stunning shots
Super! And thanks for the explanation.
This is so beautiful! I saw one once in Ireland. It was amazing too.
Beautiful photos! I would feel very lucky, and very blessed, to see something like this! Imagine, two pots of gold instead of one 🙂 xo
Oh my how stunning…I too would have picked this if I’d been lucky enough to see it! Very cool D!
That is more than cool..what a beautiful little miracle! Looks like somewhere in Ireland or Scotland. Glad you had a great Thanksgiving, I like it so much too..all about family and love! ;D
Great info! I’ve never realized a double is reversed. Super photo!
What an amazing sight! You live in such a beautiful place.
DASHING! That was the English coming out in me.. Is it just the awesome state we live in or what? I’ve seen many double rainbows here. Never knew the whyfor’s of em though, thanks for the enlightenment:)
Gorgeous!!! Hmmm…what word starts with D that fits…Delicious! Delightful! Downright dazzling!
What a fabulous photo of a wondrous event! I never relized a rainbow could be reversed. You are set to have double good luck! 🙂
I love rainbows! I am so grateful I stopped by. Awesome post! I really enjoy your blog and am always happy to visit here! Hugs Anne
They look like faded reflections of each other…… The rainbow seems to be entering the little cottage…… maybe the pot of gold is right there 😀 😀 😀
VERY cool! And I’d never noticed that the colors on the 2nd rainbow are reversed. As if your morning view isn’t gorgeous enough, this double rainbow is a mega-bonus. Glad you grabbed your camera!
Beautiful! And you were there at the right time for this stunning capture:)
I once saw a double raintbow, while waiting for a red light at a busy intersection, so I couldn’t take a pic:(
Beautiful! What a vista beyond too! I’ve seen one double rainbow at the beach last summer the colors were not nearly as vivid.
How beautiful! I’ve not seen a double rainbow before! What a treat this is.
You caught that perfectly! I’ve only seen one other “double” rainbow.
Did not know any of that. Will definitely look more closely at a double rainbow if I am so lucky.
Great catch.
To chase the rainbow and find that pot of gold would be so wonderful…
Great shots!
Sandy
Wow! I would love to see that sight…
=)
PS. And it’s interesting to know how it happens, too.
My post today: Divine Nature
Just stunning. And I love that the rainbows are mirror images.
Thanks for the info. I have seen these and never really noticed that the reds are next to each other. Just saw the beauty.
Thank you for posting the explanation…we frequently get doubles over our pond and I never thought about the how or why they were double…now I can enjoy them even more and understand the phenomena that causes them.
If a single rainbow is a treat, then two are truly extraordinary. Thanks for the how & why. I hope I see a double rainbow one day.
I was lucky to see a rainbow on my trip to Montana. I wish I could find the exact spot where it youches the ground and stand in one. Wouldn’t that make a neat picture?~Ames
What a delightfully delicious double rainbow delight!
Gosh. I think I used up my whole “D” vocabulary in that sentence – ha!
Thanks for a lovely stop today in honor of Alphabe-Thursday’s letter “D”.
A+
Rare and beautiful! What a lucky moment for you.
This is a terrific post! Less than a mile from my house is a farmer’s market every Saturday. This time of year, there are a lot of green corn tamales. If you have never had one, you are missing out. I buy a bunch, cut them into thirds, and serve them as an appetizer before Christmas dinner. Bliss!!