Which of the following statements is true when we see ‘rainbow’?
(1) We face sun and raindrops
(2) The Sun remains behind us and we face raindrops
(3) In light rainfall, we face Sun
(4) The sky remains clear and the sun is at a lower position in the sky
Answer: (2) We see rainbows because of the geometry of raindrops. When the sun shines from behind us into the rain, incident rays of light enter the drop and are refracted inwards. They are reflected from the back surface of the raindrop and refracted again as they exit the raindrop and return to our eyes. A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by the reflection of light in water droplets in the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.
