Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Weather News /

    Weather explained: How do rainbows form?

Weather explained
How do rainbows form?

Double rainbow beginning on land, in Torquay, Devon, and ending in the Atlantic Ocean.
This double rainbow was snapped leaping off of land into the Atlantic from Torquay, Devon. - © Zsolt Goldman

Question: How does a rainbow form?

Answer:

As raindrops pass through rays of light, a rainbow's colours become visible despite being white light from the Sun.

Each colour has a different wavelength, as light hits raindrops the sunlight is refracted into the spectral colours. The light we see reaches our eyes at a 42-degree angle, forming a circle, and from our perspective the classic rainbow shape.

Video explainer:

Weather & Radar editorial team
This might also interest you
Equinox marks the start of autumn. Days start to get shorter. . . Wednesday 23 September 2026
Split image showing Stonehenge in warm sunlight beside a tree-lined park glowing with vivid orange, red, and golden autumn leaves.
Wednesday 23 September 2026

Days start to get shorter

Equinox marks the start of autumn
Warm weather despite the start of autumn. Temperatures worldwide. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 23 September 2026
Temperature Radar for the Northern Hemisphere
Weather VideosWednesday 23 September 2026

Temperatures worldwide

Warm weather despite the start of autumn
Weather contrasts over Europe. Low versus high. . . Tuesday 29 September 2026
A powerful low-pressure system off Iceland is clashing with a stable high-pressure system over Scandinavia. Central Europe lies between them.
Tuesday 29 September 2026

Low versus high

Weather contrasts over Europe
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList