# non-conformist rainbows?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 12, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554 "2004-04-12T03:05:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NorwegianBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NorwegianBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorwegianBlue)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554/1 "2004-04-12T03:05:09Z")

</div>

Someone I know in Las Vegas reported seeing a Double rainbow.  
The lower rainbow was inverted from the other in the color spectrum.  
It appears that one of the rainbows in the pair is not conforming.  
He, Like me, had been told that in a rainbow the Red is always on top and Blue is always on the bottom.

I did a quick search on Google Images and found several pictures showing one inverted from the other.

When I lived in Hawaii, I saw several rainbows, many of them Doubles, but I don’t recall noting this detail.

Are All double rainbows inverted?  
How is this explained?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554/2 "2004-04-12T03:21:44Z")

</div>

Yes, the colors in double rainbows are always inverted. It’s because the rays are reflecting twice within the water droplets. It’s something like seeing your reflection upside down in a spoon. I imagine if you google on rainbow you’ll find an explanation with drawings and everything.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554/3 "2004-04-12T03:30:44Z")

</div>

In a triple rainbow, if you ever see one, the inversion is repeated as well, i.e., the innermost rainbow is in the same order as the uppermost.

Actually, any rainbow has an infinite series of inner rainbows, each inverted from the last, but generally only the outermost one or two is visible. I don’t have a link handy, but Richard Dawkins’ _Unweaving the Rainbow_ (really a fascinating book!) does a good job of explaining how and why.

Oh, and YMMV, I suppose.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554/4 "2004-04-12T03:31:17Z")

</div>

[Double rainbow](http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=164992)  
[Hawiian double rainbow](http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=152480)  
The exception to **commasense** ’s rule: [Reflected rainbow](http://epod.usra.edu/archive/epodviewer.php3?oid=170432)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-conformist-rainbows/239554/5 "2004-04-12T03:44:55Z")

</div>

**Squink** : Cool! I hadn’t heard of that kind before.