"Since the rainbow is a special distribution of colors (produced in a particular way) with reference to a definite point - the eye of the observer - and as no single distribution can be the same for two separate points, it follows that two observers do not, and cannot, see the same rainbow." (Humphreys, 1929).

Of course, a camera lens will record an image of a rainbow which can then be seen my many people (Lynds, 1995).

A rainbow is essentially made up of seven brilliant colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet; moreover, it is comprised of many coloration that the eyes cannot see. No painter can manufacture the colors of the rainbow, for they create color by mixing, but no mixing will give red, green, or purple. These are the colors of the rainbow, though between the red and the green an orange color is often seen (Aristotle, 350 BC). To understand how the awesome production of a rainbow occurs is a f

eat of physics and mathematics. The two most important ingredients are light and drops of water. The manner and position in which the light and water droplets transverse, and the reactions between the two, are complex formulas of nature. Additionally, certain circumstances make it possible for a rainbow to occur.

Proverbs about rainbows predicting future weather have been around for centuries. "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning", "Rainbow at night, shepherd's delight; Rainbow in morning, shepherds take warning.", "If there be a rainbow in the eve, It will rain and leave; But if there be a rainbow in the morrow, it will neither lend nor borrow", and "Rainbow to windward, foul fall the day; rainbow to leeward, damp runs away" (Humphreys, 1923). The reason these proverbs are seemingly logical when you consider the fact that to see a rainbow rain must be falling in part of sky, and the sun shining in the other (Ahrens, 1998). In addition, to see a rainbow, or red sky, an individual has to be facing the rain and have the sun at your back. When we view an evening rainbow, we are facing east and towards the rain shower. When we view a morning rainbow, we are facing west, consequently, also towards the rain shower. In middle latitudes, clouds and wind tend to travel from west to east. Therefore, it follows that the rain that is in the west, as it is in a morning rainbow, will make its way across the land, eventually reaching our point of observation.

Another essential component of the rainbow is drops of water. Again, water drops from sprinklers or the sprays emitted from waterfalls can produce a rainbow, but I will focus on water drops that fall from the sky. A raindrop is nature's reflective mirror in the sky. The smooth, yet internally curved, surface of a raindrop can refract and reflect light. A typical raindrop is spherical in dimension and thus has a symmetrical effect on light. Lynds (1995) points out that the "purity" of the colors of the rainbow depends on the size of the raindrops. Large drops (diameters of a few millimeters) give bright rainbows with well defined colors; small droplets (diameters of about 0.01 mm) produce rainbows of overlapping colors that appear nearly white. When it rains, the droplets are never the same exact size and shape; thus, a rainbow occurs in a range of colors.

"We do not see a full circle because the earth gets in the way. The lower the sun is to the horiz

Some common words found in the essay are:
Captain Mikkelson, , On-line Available, Bibliography AhrensD, Company Lynds, Co Humphreys, outer rainbow, colors rainbow, lynds 1995, lunar rainbow, House Aristotle, ahrens 1998, secondary rainbow, red sky, aristotle 350, produce rainbow, humphreys 1929, Translated Webster, aristotle 350 bc, towards rain shower, autumn equinox rainbow,
Approximate Word count = 1667
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)