A Wonderleaf question
Why are rainbows curved?
a real page from the book
Rainbows curve because round raindrops send sunlight back to your eyes at a special angle. With the sun behind you, only drops lined up around that angle shine with color, and those positions form part of a circle in the sky.
If you were high enough in the air, you might see the whole ring. From the ground, Earth hides the lower part, so we usually get an arc. Your child is also seeing their own rainbow, because their eyes line up with different drops than yours.
Wonder words
- droplet
- angle
- spectrum
- arc
Try it out
Stand with your back to the sun and mist water from a hose or spray bottle to look for a tiny rainbow.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
Open the picture bookOne more wonder: Why is space so dark?
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