By Gus Saltonstall
A double rainbow was visible on the Upper West Side following a brief Monday afternoon rain shower.
Here it is again from a window on West 80th Street.
A double rainbow is formed when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop, meaning that it is a reflection of a reflection.
A normal rainbow happens when sunlight passes through raindrops and the light gets reflected. A double rainbow takes place when the light doesn’t escape the raindrop after the first reflection, but instead reflects off the raindrop a second time.
The second rainbow will always be fainter.
🌈 Surprise shower & stunning rainbows on the Great Hill just now! The picture does not do the scene justice. pic.twitter.com/WZHOWVV4gx
— Naveed Hasan (@read_naveed) August 12, 2024
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Magnificent! Thanks for the photos.
Thanks. We knew that weird little rain cloud was going to form a rainbow but were too lazy to get up and go look for it.
https://twitter.com/read_naveed/status/1823448283945001470
I wish I had my real camera gear! It was unexpected, so close and glorious… the best rainbow I’ve ever seen so far.