{"id":86949,"date":"2025-06-01T04:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T04:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?p=86949"},"modified":"2025-06-01T04:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T04:24:10","slug":"the-appearance-of-a-rainbow-in-the-sky-after-a-rain-shower-is-due-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/the-appearance-of-a-rainbow-in-the-sky-after-a-rain-shower-is-due-to\/","title":{"rendered":"The appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to"},"content":{"rendered":"

The appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to<\/p>\n

[amp_mcq option1=”diffraction and refraction of light in water droplets” option2=”total internal reflection of light in water droplets only” option3=”refraction of light in water droplets only” option4=”both total internal reflection and refraction of light in water droplets” correct=”option4″]<\/p>\n

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This question was previously asked in<\/div>\n
UPSC Geoscientist – 2022<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Download PDF<\/a>Attempt Online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe formation of a rainbow is due to the combined effects of refraction and total internal reflection (or simply internal reflection) of sunlight as it passes through spherical rain droplets.
\n<\/section>\n
\nWhen sunlight enters a rain droplet, it is refracted (bends) and dispersed (separated into different colors because different wavelengths refract at slightly different angles). This dispersed light then travels to the back inner surface of the droplet, where it undergoes internal reflection. Finally, as the light exits the droplet, it is refracted again, further separating the colors and sending them towards the observer’s eye at specific angles depending on the wavelength, creating the arc of the rainbow. For the primary rainbow, the reflection at the back surface is usually total internal reflection, but even if not strictly TIR for all angles, it is an internal reflection that directs the light back towards the observer.
\n<\/section>\n
\nA double rainbow occurs due to light undergoing two internal reflections within the droplet. Diffraction effects can lead to phenomena like supernumerary bows, which are faint bands seen just inside the primary rainbow, but the primary and secondary rainbows themselves are primarily explained by the principles of refraction and internal reflection.
\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to [amp_mcq option1=”diffraction and refraction of light in water droplets” option2=”total internal reflection of light in water droplets only” option3=”refraction of light in water droplets only” option4=”both total internal reflection and refraction of light in water droplets” correct=”option4″] This question was … <\/p>\n

Detailed SolutionThe appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1091],"tags":[1108,1153,1128],"class_list":["post-86949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc-geoscientist","tag-1108","tag-optics","tag-physics","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nThe appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The formation of a rainbow is due to the combined effects of refraction and total internal reflection (or simply internal reflection) of sunlight as it passes through spherical rain droplets. When sunlight enters a rain droplet, it is refracted (bends) and dispersed (separated into different colors because different wavelengths refract at slightly different angles). This dispersed light then travels to the back inner surface of the droplet, where it undergoes internal reflection. Finally, as the light exits the droplet, it is refracted again, further separating the colors and sending them towards the observer's eye at specific angles depending on the wavelength, creating the arc of the rainbow. For the primary rainbow, the reflection at the back surface is usually total internal reflection, but even if not strictly TIR for all angles, it is an internal reflection that directs the light back towards the observer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/the-appearance-of-a-rainbow-in-the-sky-after-a-rain-shower-is-due-to\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The formation of a rainbow is due to the combined effects of refraction and total internal reflection (or simply internal reflection) of sunlight as it passes through spherical rain droplets. When sunlight enters a rain droplet, it is refracted (bends) and dispersed (separated into different colors because different wavelengths refract at slightly different angles). This dispersed light then travels to the back inner surface of the droplet, where it undergoes internal reflection. Finally, as the light exits the droplet, it is refracted again, further separating the colors and sending them towards the observer's eye at specific angles depending on the wavelength, creating the arc of the rainbow. For the primary rainbow, the reflection at the back surface is usually total internal reflection, but even if not strictly TIR for all angles, it is an internal reflection that directs the light back towards the observer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/the-appearance-of-a-rainbow-in-the-sky-after-a-rain-shower-is-due-to\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MCQ and Quiz for Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T04:24:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The appearance of a rainbow in the sky after a rain shower is due to","description":"The formation of a rainbow is due to the combined effects of refraction and total internal reflection (or simply internal reflection) of sunlight as it passes through spherical rain droplets. 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