Niagara Rainbow
March 21, 2003
Referred by: Vanessa Pina, Web Shots
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Vanessa Pina
This photo shows a portion of the horseshoe-shaped Canadian side of Niagara Falls - the Sun is directly behind the photographer. Water droplets in the mist rising from the Falls refracts and reflects sunlight, resulting in a rainbow, which is a nearly permanent feature of Niagara on sunny days. The "Maid of the Mist" can be seen navigating the turbid waters near the center of the bow. Note the way the rainbow appears to pierce the Falls. The American part of Niagara Falls is in the background (upper left).
Under an international treaty, the flow of water over Niagara Falls is reduced during the nighttime hours in order to allow more of the water to flow into intakes to be used for electricity. This plan ensures that the Niagara's natural beauty is unaffected during the daylight when most people visit the Falls. Power plants on both the American and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls produce nearly 2.5 million kilowatts of electricity
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