How to See a Rainbow

Rainbows are created when the individual colors from sunlight are separated. This happens when water in the sky acts as a prism. While you see a rainbow by accident, there are things that you can do to that help you see them more readily.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Wait for a day where there is a lot of moisture in the air. The best time to see a rainbow is immediately after it has rained. There is still a lot of water droplets in the air at this time, but you may still be able to see the light.
2. Find a place where the sun is shining immediately after it has stopped raining. During this period, the sunlight comes through the water droplets in the air. The water droplets act as a prism, separating the colors in the light into all of the colors that sunlight is made of. This produces a rainbow.
3. Make your own rainbow. Wait for a day where there is abundant sunshine.
4. Get your water hose out. The goal is to increase the amount of water droplets in the air, so don't use the normal stream of water that comes out of the hose. By putting your thumb over the end of the hose, you can force the water to spray out in smaller, more dispersed streams.
5. Look through the water drops to see how the sunlight has been divided into its individual colors.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your own rainbow in an area that lets plenty of light reach the ground.
• If you're out driving, don't concentrate on trying to look at a rainbow or find a rainbow. Focus on the road.