Why Do Rainbows Form?

A rainbow appears when sunlight passes through raindrops. Each drop acts like a tiny prism, bending and splitting the light into multiple colors.

Raindrops bend and reflect sunlight, creating the rainbow effect we see.

1. Light enters a raindrop

Sunlight slows and bends — a process called refraction.

2. Light bounces inside

Some light reflects inside the droplet, shifting direction.

3. Light exits and spreads into colors

This second bend separates the light into red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.