Partial Rainbows

February 13, 2004

Rainbow_4_e-mail

Provided and copyright by: Fred Dillard
Summary authors & editors: Fred Dillard; Jim Foster

Looking east-southeast from the Dillard Ranch in central Texas, I shot this dazzling primary rainbow at about 5:55 p.m. (local time) in late January. The tip of the tree in the foreground helps show how stunning this partial bow appeared. Water drops larger than about 1 mm in diameter result in the most vivid colors. A secondary bow is visible outside the primary bow -- on the right side of the photo. The steepness of these bows indicate that the Sun was very close to the horizon.

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