What's the secret behind weather, rainbows, and pots of gold?

The sight of a rainbow frequently triggers an outpouring of positive feelings, prompting individuals to reference divine intervention, fortune, the supernatural, and the afterlife.

Many cultures worldwide link rainbows to folklore legends.

In myths and legends, rainbows are typically viewed as positive symbols, according to the National Geographic Society.

In elementary school, numerous pupils were taught that Sir Isaac Newton identified seven hues of the rainbow.

The colors of a rainbow are listed in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Some children were taught to remember this sequence using the mnemonic Roy G Biv.

The Irish legend of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and a leprechaun are often associated with rainbows.

The colorful natural phenomena have scientific explanations beyond mystical and pop-culture references.

Fox New Digital spoke to two science experts about the weather wonder.

What causes a rainbow to occur?

Sunlight hitting water droplets in the atmosphere, whether raindrops or mist, creates rainbows.

According to Jason C. Furtado, PhD, an associate professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, the sunlight is scattered into various colors.

To see a rainbow, the sun must be shining from behind you and the water droplets must be in front of you.

The droplet refracts sunlight when it enters at an angle, as explained by him.

Furtado continued, "The separation of colors within the sunlight beam results in the formation of a rainbow."

"Many may have experienced the same principle in a middle school science class when shining a light through a prism."

The vantage point of someone viewing a rainbow is important.

According to Furtado, in order to see a rainbow, the sun must be behind you and the water droplets must be in front of you.

Rainbows are most commonly observed in the western sky in the morning and the eastern sky in the evenings because you want the sun to be relatively low in the sky, he stated.

Do weather patterns impact the prevalence of rainbows?

More rainbows are likely to appear when there is more rain.

Documented incidents of increasing heavy downpours across the U.S. have been stated by Kenneth Kunkel, PhD, an atmospheric science professor at North Carolina State University in Asheville, North Carolina.

Kunkel stated that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report, published in 2021, summarized global research studies on heavy precipitation.

The likelihood is that the occurrence of heavy rainfall has increased worldwide across most regions with extensive monitoring.

You may even be lucky enough to witness a double rainbow when the light is reflected twice.

At the University of Oklahoma, Furtado reported that three factors contribute to the increase in heavy downpours.

Furtado stated that as air temperature rises, the capacity of the atmosphere to hold water vapor increases exponentially, resulting in more water being available for rainfall.

He stated that our oceans are warming, which increases the evaporation of water into the atmosphere, resulting in more water vapor being available to produce rain.

Furtado stated that a warmer atmosphere can lead to more unstable weather, resulting in stronger storms and increased precipitation.

If the conditions are right, you may be more likely to see a rainbow the next time it rains.

The National Weather Service stated that you must face the sun while standing with the rain in front of you.

When the light is reflected twice, you may be fortunate enough to observe a double rainbow.

On Monday, Sept. 11, the New York City sky was graced with a double rainbow, while Americans remembered the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks 22 years ago.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, 2022, a double rainbow appeared in the sky as people gathered around Buckingham Palace to mourn the longest-reigning British monarch.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Sydney Borchers contributed reporting.

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