The Hidden Team of Colors
Sunlight looks white or yellowish, but it is actually a 'team' of seven colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. They travel together so fast that they blend into one single beam. To see a rainbow, we need a 'prism' to trip up the light and force the colors to separate.
The Raindrop as a Mirror
During a storm, every single raindrop acts like a tiny, liquid prism. For a rainbow to appear, the Sun must be behind you, and the rain must be in front of you. Sunlight enters the raindrop, bounces off the back of the drop like a mirror, and then exits back toward your eyes.
The 'Bend' in the Road
As the light enters and leaves the water, it slows down and 'bends.' This is called refraction. Here is the secret: each color bends at a slightly different angle. Red light is 'lazy' and bends the least, while Violet light is 'energetic' and bends the most. Because they exit at different angles, they spread out into familiar stripes.