← 🎨 Colours & Light
🟢 6+ years

🌈 How a rainbow forms

🔍 View mode:
Sun: 42° · Rainbow at 42° from the sun
💡 A rainbow appears when sunlight refracts in raindrops. Each colour exits at a different angle — 40° (violet) to 42° (red)!
Move sun angle · View droplet · Observe

🌈 Rainbow — Atmospheric Scattering

Atmospheric light scattering demonstrates how rainbows form. Sunlight refracts through water droplets, separating into the colour spectrum. Move the sun position to see how the rainbow angle changes.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

Snell's law governs refraction at the droplet surface. Different wavelengths refract at slightly different angles (dispersion), separating white light into colours.

🎮 How to Use

Move the sun position to see how the rainbow arc responds. The primary rainbow is always at 42° from the anti-solar point.

💡 Did You Know?

The secondary rainbow (sometimes visible outside the primary) has reversed colour order and is caused by two internal reflections inside the droplet. The dark band between them is called Alexander's dark band.