Monochrome rainbow
Appearance
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Monochrome_rainbow.jpg/220px-Monochrome_rainbow.jpg)
A Monochrome or Red Rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon and a rare variation of the more commonly seen multicolored rainbow. Its formation process is identical to that of a normal rainbow (namely the reflection/refraction of light in water droplets), the difference being that a monochrome rainbow requires the sun to be close to the horizon; i.e., near sunrise or sunset. The low angle of the sun results in a longer distance for its light to travel through the atmosphere, causing shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue, green and yellow, to be scattered and leaving primarily red.[1] In the lower light environment where the phenomenon most often forms, a monochrome rainbow can leave a highly dramatic effect.
References
- ^ Groth, Ed; Foster, Jim (2011-09-10). "Red Rainbow at Sunrise - Earth Science Picture of the Day". NASA Earth Science Division. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
Further reading
- Sistek, Scott (24 November 2011). "Red Rainbows, Glorious Sunrises and a Very Unlucky Weather Station". KOMO News. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- Cowley, Les. "Red Rainbows". Atmospheric Optics. Retrieved 22 June 2016.