Rainbows

[Rharris9585]

Is it possible to find the end of a rainbow? Or does it always seem far away however much you follow it? If you were standing at the end of a rainbow, would you now you were doing so or is it just one big, (natural) optical illusion?

[NORMANTHEDOG]

hang on a bit i will just nip down the bottom of my garden and ask the fairies.

[Loosehead]

just look for the big yellow alligator! sorry err crock of gold!

[4lec]

You cant physically find the end of a rainbow. Because all a rainbow is, is the reflection of sunlight on water particles. So as you travel towards the rainbow, the sun reflects towards you differently, so it may 'disappear'. Thats how ive always understood it anyway.
Hope it helps
Alec

[funkymoped]

dont know if there is an end to a rainbow, but ive stood above one in Cornwall. it wasnt raining, but there was a rough sea breaking onto a rugged coast. the combination of sea srpay and sun created a "rainbow".

ive got a photograph of it somewhere, but we cant post pix on here. (or i dont know how to !)

[Tatty Rollox]

........ it's quite possible to post a picture on AnswerBank, funky, as you can see by clicking here .........

[kempie]

...and now for the science bit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow

[heathfield]

In my pre-teens I was taking a shortcut across a tee on a golf course. There'd been a heavy April shower a few minutes previously, but the sun was shining again. In the middle of the tee, I was suddenly aware that every single drop of water on the grass was acting as a prism, and each one was shining brightly and showing all the colours of the rainbow. It was an astonishing and magical sight that I've never seen again. I thought then that I must be standing at the end of a rainbow. It's a nice thought, and one I still like to believe. No pot of gold though - not even a lost golf-ball. N.B.Pre-drugs era!

[Gef]

"There's nothing at the end of the rainbow. There's nothing to gorw up for any more". Song lyrics by Richard Thompson.

[dyli795]

A rainbow is circular.

[joko]

i'll ask seamus o'leprosy, the leprechaun, where his rainbow is, so i will.

[Space]

A rainbow is a cone, rather than a bow or a circle. The origin of the cone is your eye, so when you move, it moves with you.

[sholay]

My friend saw a rainbow from above in an airplane once - apparently they're round.

So in a way, they are an optical illusion as we can only see the top semi-circle when we're on the ground, but it doesn't change to a line if viewed from above - staying constant whichever position its viewed from.

[THECORBYLOON]

Everyone sees their own rainbow.