What are the colors of the rainbow?

rainbow colors

The colors of the rainbow that we observe in the sky after a rainy day, are pure colors whose hue is defined by the length of its wave.. We are talking about one of the most beautiful and unique meteorological events that nature presents us, the rainbow. Seven colors are those that appear, always in the same order and that can be seen in different parts of the planet at the same time.

To let us see this meteorological event, the rain has to make an appearance and after it, these seven colorful arches will appear. Do you know how these seven colorful arches are formed? Do not ask yourself any more, in a moment we will explain what a rainbow is, its formation process and each of the colors that make it up.

Understanding amazing phenomena

human eye colors

To better understand what it is, how they are formed and the colors that this wonderful event that Mother Nature offers us has, we should start by explaining how the eyes of human beings work. Knowing what we just mentioned, it will be much easier to understand the entire process.

The human eye is one of the most important elements of our body. They are very sensitive to light, the color vision we have is produced by the stimulation of different sizes of light waves on our cones. For those who do not know what cones are, they are photosensitive cells that are located in the retina, more specifically in the photoreceptor layer. These cells that we are talking about are the ones in charge of color vision.

Can be given three types of cones according to the wavelength we were talking about; type L if the length is long (red colour), type M if it is medium (green colour) and type S, if it is short (blue colour).

The cones generate signals that are sent through the optic nerve to the areas of our brain which are responsible for interpreting the information that has been sent to them.

What is the rainbow and how is it formed?

rainbow formation

This natural phenomenon we're talking about, appears in the sky of our cities when the sun's rays pass through the water particles that are suspended in the layer of the atmosphere, giving rise to seven arches of different colors.

Some refer to it as a luminous band that presents different colors due to the decomposition suffered by the light. When we stop carefully to observe it, we can see that it has the shape of an arch, hence the name it receives.

When a ray passes through a drop of water, it divides it into the colors that we can observe in the rainbow, at the same time that it deflects it. That is, the light ray is reflected both when it is in contact with the water and when it comes out of that drop. Each of these drops can be seen in a different color, so those that are the same tend to group together to create the show we are talking about.

What are the colors that make up the rainbow?

Newton decomposition light

astromia.com

Isaac Newton in the year 1664 at a country fair held in the United Kingdom, bought a pair of prisms. With this step, it was how the scientist managed to show us how nature acts when the sun appears for a while.

This important character taught us that with these two objects that the color does not change, although the angle does. With this discovery, he confirmed with all the pure colors and the sum of them, they resulted in white light. This marked a before and after in the field of science and communication.

The colors are waves and as such, each of them has a different length than the rest. The lengths, as we have seen in the previous section, are longer when they are closer to the color red. As soon as white light enters a prism, each of the colors we know takes a different path.

The colors that we perceive in the rainbow, when sunlight passes through the drops left by the rain, are the following: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet. Actually, it is not only these seven colors that we have named that make up this phenomenon, but there is a gradient of colors in which even hundreds of them could be perceived.

Rainbow colors

First color: red

The red as we have just indicated, It is the first color that appears in the rainbow forming its outer arc and which has a longer wavelength.. One of the colors that our human eye highlights more easily when we observe it.

Second color: orange

Always, the second color that makes up this wonderful phenomenon appears just below the red. In this case, We are talking about one of the colors that is most difficult for us to distinguish in the rainbow since, it tends to mix with red and loses visibility.

Third color: Yellow

Next color in the rainbow composition, after orange. One of the most prominent colors of the phenomenon because of its powerful color. Thanks to this, the yellow color stands out from the rest of the colors and is one of the most visible. In case the rainbow appears in bright and sunny skies, this color will have to disappear.

Fourth color: green

We continue with the order in which we can observe the colors of the rainbow and we are in the green, which is located below the yellow arch. As with other colors, on certain occasions it is very difficult to distinguish and more, if it happens as in the previous case we find ourselves in front of a clear and blue sky.

Fifth color: cyan

Fifth color that makes up the rainbow and one of the most easily go unnoticed by the human eye. On many occasions it happens that this cyan color tends to mix with the blue color of the sky so we are not able to differentiate it exactly. Its distinction is much easier, when the rainbow appears on a cloudy or gray sky.

Sixth color: blue

Also called the color indigo, it is the sixth color that appears in the rainbow. Its wavelength would be of type M, that is, of intermediate size with respect to the rest of the colors. With this color a very peculiar thing happens and it is that, it is difficult to distinguish it and due to this there are those who think that the rainbow is made up of six colors instead of seven.

Seventh color: purple

We come to the last color that makes up the rainbow, the one with the shortest wavelength, the color violet. A mixture between this color and its superior, blue, can occur, but Almost all the times that the rainbow makes an appearance, it is easy to see it with the naked eye.

Can two rainbows appear at the same time?

double Rainbow

Surely, on more than one occasion after a rainy day, you have looked up at the sky and found not just one rainbow but two. This event is possible and we are talking about a double rainbow.

This phenomenon that we are talking about is not very common to see, since it occurs when the sun's rays pass through part of the water droplets and we can see it, due to a rebound that occurs within this drop. Namely, there are two bounces and this causes the rays to cross and leave the drop in the opposite direction.

With this unusual effect, it is how double rainbows or secondary rainbows are produced, which is below the main one, to call it in some way. The intensity of this second rainbow is much less, since the rays have less energy intensity in the bounces. The waves that form the colors are of a greater width and in addition, the colors appear in reverse of the order that we have mentioned previously.

Is it possible to see a complete rainbow?

full rainbow

As we all know, rainbows really are a circumference, although we only perceive half. The most common thing is that when it appears in our skies, we see the arches that we always see, this is because we are on the earth's surface.

If you want to observe a complete rainbow, in addition to the fact that a series of factors have to be met for it, you would have to place yourself on the earth's surface, in addition to the fact that the rainbow must appear in an area free of obstacles.

It is not enough to go to a mountain, if we are flying and this phenomenon appears, it would be possible to appreciate this complete rainbow that we are talking about. A spectacular phenomenon, which we should enjoy once in a lifetime.

We hope that the data that we have given you about the colors of the rainbow and how they are formed, have been useful to you and have taught you things that you did not know before. From now on, we hope that every time a rainy day comes out and a rainbow appears, you will know how to appreciate what nature offers us, a unique phenomenon full of beauty. Can you differentiate the seven colors that compose it? Will a double rainbow appear?


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