How are rainbows made?

A rainbow is formed when light hits water droplets in the air and is refracted, or bent.

Light that appears white (like light from the sun) is actually made up of several colors!

The colors that make up white light are the same colors that make a rainbow. They are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

You can often see a rainbow after it rains. Beams of sunlight shine towards the rain in the air and when the light goes into the raindrops, it is bent (refracted).

When the light bends, it breaks into all of its colors. Each color leaves the raindrop at its own angle, different from all the others.

The colors of the rainbow always appear in the same order because each color always bends at the same angle.