Kurt , Thank you for collecting and calculating the information and posting it. I really do enjoy viewing a rainbow. I would also like to try and get some decent rainbow photos sometime. I believe it was Rob that had mentioned previously that a big part of getting a good photo is knowing where to stand. Do you or other list members have suggestions of a favorite location to view/photograph rainbows from, in the Salt Lake Valley? It was just in the last week or so (Monday I believe) as I was leaving work I noted that exact type of conditions you mention that should be favorable for a rainbow to be visible (sunny at my location on the west side, while still raining in the east side of the valley). Looking toward the anti-solar point I was able to see a nice section of rainbow. While I enjoyed that view, it occurred to me that although I understood the general principals of rainbow formation I was not as clear on the specifics as a card carrying member of the Optical Society of America ought to be, particularly with regard to the formation of secondary rainbows. I thought if I were asked to explain it to a school class or other group I might find myself clearing my throat and stammering quite a bit and vowed to sitdown and do a ray tracing diagram to make sure I was clear myself on what was going on. Thanks for including the Descartes figure. Wikipedia has a good article on the phenomena. Including a ray diagram of the double reflection that leads to the secondary rainbows and an explanation of supernumerary rainbows. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow Ivo --- Canopus56 <canopus56@yahoo.com> wrote:
Spring 2008 Rainbow Hunting Calendar - Salt Lake City - March to May
The spring is a good time for rainbow hunting in Salt Lake City because of the interaction between weather and the Wasatch Mountains.
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