Why do rainbows do this?

[katerkat]

Twice now I've seen a reverse rainbow and I want to know why! Both times it was a double rainbow - two separate ones - and one is "normal" (red, yellow, green, blue) and one is reversed (blue, green, yellow, red). I think both times it was the one on the left that was reversed.

Why did this happen? Was it a trick of the eye? Normal when it's a double rainbow? Why are there double rainbows, anyway?

 

[Sparx]

is this what your talking about?

Not sure why they do that, but Ive seen them before, and I found this pic online.

 

[katerkat]

Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about! Anyone know how that happens?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If I had to wager a guess---the sun must be hitting water from both sides----so one is the reflection one way--and the other is the reflection of the other.


OR---you are seeing one rainbow and the other is a reflection of it b/c of the amount of moisture in the air.

But I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on the DIS--so your guess is as good as mine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

From what I gather from this site the light is refracted twice out of the same droplet.

Some reflects twice inside the drop, then refracts back to the atmosphere.This gives rise to the secondary rainbow that is sometimes seen.

 

[Virgo10]

Everything you ever wanted to know about reversed rainbows but were afraid to ask. Rainbow Information

I took this picture at my house a few weeks ago.

Until I saw this thread, I never noticed that a double rainbow was reversed!