Circular rainbows do exist....In fact all rainbows are circular.But due to your shadow blocking some of the light , or due to the light disappearing beyond the horizon ,rainbows appear to be ,well , BOWS!!
Descartes through his studies had pointed out that rainbows must be symmetrical.He simplified the study of the rainbow by reducing it to a study of one water droplet and how it interacts with light falling upon it.
In ancient times Rainbows were said to be Godly phenomenon!!
So how can you see a circular rainbow?Well,from the surface of the earth its simply not possible!However when viewed from a high altitude, such as an airplane,circular rainbows can be seen when the angle between the sun, the water droplets, and the plane is around 42 degrees. Here , the rainbow is horizontal, meaning that it is parallel to the ground and hence not blocked by the horizon.
Rainbows are a sure predictor of the direction of rain clouds.There are many proverbs related to rainbows...Among them my favourite...
Rainbow to windward, foul fall the day;
Rainbow to leeward, rain runs away-Anonymous
Simply put ,if the wind is coming from the direction of the rainbow, the rain is heading toward you. Conversely, if the rainbow is in the opposite direction, rain has passed you.
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