# Inverse rainbow?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverse-rainbow/1002624>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 8, 2024, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverse-rainbow/1002624 "2024-06-08T03:21:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverse-rainbow/1002624/1 "2024-06-08T03:21:13Z")

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I saw a beautiful double rainbow today. I noticed that the primary bow had a faint inner color after the violet. What causes that?

[[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/WdLi3iX.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/nNe9oo6)

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**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverse-rainbow/1002624/2 "2024-06-08T03:32:49Z")

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Looks like a faint supernumerary rainbow:

> **[Rainbow | Supernumerary rainbows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow#Supernumerary_rainbows)**
>
> In certain circumstances, one or several narrow, faintly coloured bands can be seen bordering the violet edge of a rainbow; i.e., inside the primary bow or, much more rarely, outside the secondary. These extra bands are called supernumerary rainbows or supernumerary bands; together with the rainbow itself the phenomenon is also known as a stacker rainbow. The supernumerary bows are slightly detached from the main bow, become successively fainter along with their distance from it, and have pastel ...

It’s evidence of destructive interference (and thus light being a wave).

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**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inverse-rainbow/1002624/3 "2024-06-08T03:42:17Z")

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> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> It’s evidence of destructive interference (and thus light being a wave).

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was knowledge all along…