The Science in the Bible

Entry 80 · Section 8: Sky and Earth

The Optics of a Rainbow

After the Flood, the bow in the cloud becomes God's covenant sign to Noah and every living creature.

Scripture: Gen 9:13–16

PhysicsMeteorology

Sunlight entering a spherical droplet, reflecting once for the 42-degree primary bow and twice for the approximately 50–51-degree secondary bow; observer and antisolar direction complete the geometry.
Sunlight entering a spherical droplet, reflecting once for the 42-degree primary bow and twice for the approximately 50–51-degree secondary bow; observer and antisolar direction complete the geometry.

The question

Why does a primary rainbow appear near 42 degrees and a fainter secondary bow near 50 to 51 degrees?

Why it matters

Optics describes the visible geometry without reducing the covenant or its meaning to refraction alone.

Suggest a correction or new direction
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