Wild Wacky World

How Rainbows Form

Rainbows happen when sunlight bends and splits inside raindrops.

What Happens?

  • Sunlight hits raindrops in the air.
  • Light bends (refracts) and spreads into colors.
  • That’s why we see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

Try This

Use a glass of water and a flashlight to make a tiny rainbow on a wall.

← Back to science