Rainbows

• Look on page 13 of How to Read the Sky; you will see a rainbow. What is a rainbow? What makes a rainbow and how do we know where to look for one?
• A rainbow is an arch of different colours in the sky. It appears when it has been raining and the sun comes out. The colours of the rainbow are formed when the light from the sun shines through each raindrop, splits into different colours and then bounces back into the sky.
• The colours that make up a rainbow are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The colours of the rainbow are known as the spectrum.

There are sayings that you can use to remember the spectrum such as 'Richard of York gave battle in vain'. A more fun version is 'Run over your granny because it's violent!'

Can you think of a saying to remember the colours?

You can make your own rainbow. On a sunny day, stand with your back to the sun and spray water from a hosepipe into the air. Try and create a fine mist of water droplets by holding your thumb over the end and you should see a rainbow effect!