Rainbows, most would agree, are one of the most beautiful gifts that Mother Nature has to offer us. They are colorful, magical, and impossible to catch. They remind us of old stories between gods and men, of magical creatures and natural wonder. The double rainbow, of course, is even more magical, and almost all cultures give positive meaning to seeing a double rainbow.
Below, you'll find loads of photos, videos, and information about double rainbows that are bound to leave you in utter awe!
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Stunning Pictures of Double Rainbows
Although rainbows can technically be found in a bottle of water or in a puddle, it is the double rainbows that fill the sky that take our breath away, and make people from all cultures, genders, and creeds stop and take in their beauty.
If you stood where you thought the rainbow ends, it would look to you as if it were standing in a different location altogether. This is one of the best optical illusions in nature. It all depends on the angle of the sun and where there is moisture in the air.
Seeing a rainbow is one of those things that crosses all boundaries between people - whatever culture you come from, a rainbow, not to mention a double rainbow, is a pleasure to see.
Some claim that all rainbows are double rainbows, but only when the effect is very strong the human eyes are able to notice the second, dimmer rainbow.
A double rainbow forms when there is a double reflection of light within raindrops, and nearly always appears at an angle between 50 and 53°, causing its colors to become inverted.
Rainbows have always amazed man, which is why they appear in many stories - the story of Noah, the mythological rainbow bridge of the Norse gods, the folk tales of Ireland, the Greek mythologies had a messenger that traveled by rainbow, and many more... If anything looks like it came from heaven, rainbows are surely that.
The best time to view a rainbow in its full glory is either in the early morning hours or in the late afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky. The lower the sun, the higher the rainbow.
The natural color spectrum found within a rainbow will always display itself in an identical way (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally violet) during the refraction of light. Primary rainbows can be observed when light is reflected a single time off of a raindrop. However, secondary rainbows are typically dimmer than primary ones, and are often seen when light reflects twice in a far more complex manner.
Curiously, the secondary rainbow's primary colors are inverted, meaning that blue appears on the outer edge while red can be found on the innermost band. The secondary rainbow will also be cloudier, since a lot more light is released from the two reflections, as they collectively cover a much bigger portion of the sky.
In extremely rare cases, triple or even quadruple rainbows can form, but only if they are found as reflections off of earthly objects. They are undoubtedly unbelievable to witness!
According to the art and philosophy of Feng Shui, double rainbows "are considered symbolic of transformations in your life. The material world is represented by the first rainbow while the second rainbow is the spiritual world.
"Seeing a single rainbow is fairly common, so it is something we take for granted in the universe, but when we see a double rainbow we stop and take time to admire the wonder of the universe.”
Rainbows always seem to enhance the color of the world, so green looks greener, red looks redder, and everything looks more beautiful!
'The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.' Dolly Parton
"And as he spoke of understanding, I looked up and saw the rainbow leap with flames of many colors over me." Black Elk
"Somewhere, over the rainbow, Way up tall, There's a land where they've never heard of cholesterol." Allan Sherman
“Rainbows apologize for angry skies.” Sylvia Voirol
"Every sunset should come with its own rainbow, never again would we be sad to see the sun go down." Anonymous
“Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain, but you can't make a rainbow without a little rain.” Anonymous
ORANGE comes second, representing wisdom.
Then comes YELLOW, which represents thought and decision making.
GREEN comes after, the 4th and middle color, and as such represents harmony, balance, good health, and growth.
Then comes BLUE, the color of divinity, a soothing and relaxing color.
INDIGO is next, which represents infinity.
Last but not least is VIOLET, the 7th color. It is the beginning and end, representing a closed circle.
What's amazing is that when a double rainbow appears, everything else would like absolutely outstanding sa well, such as the fantastic waterfall that can be seen above!
The above double rainbow really makes the lush colors of green meadows look vibrant and alive.
A beautiful panorama of a double rainbow, Alaska. The photographer said that he will remember this sight till the day he dies.
One of the most amazing photos of a rainbow, this one was captured from a helicopter flying over Hawaii. A rainbow like this is called a 'Supernumerary Rainbow' because it has additional bands of color inside the violet (outer) band. It doesn't happen very often and is actually several small and faint rainbows existing within the primary rainbow.
Incredible Double Rainbow Videos
How Double Rainbows Form
Full Circular Double Rainbow Seen From the Sky
A Double Rainbow Over the Ocean
A Double Rainbow in Africa
Amazing Double Rainbow Over Iceland's Skogafoss Waterfall
One Guy's Hilarious Reaction to Seeing a Double Rainbow For the First Time!
BONUS: Enjoy One of the Most Famous Songs About a Rainbow Ever!
Don't forget to share the beauty of these double rainbows with your friends and family!
