Double Rainbow – My Secret Rainbow

I just watched the Hong Kong movie “Echoes of the rainbow” last month during Vancouver International Film Festival. Double rainbow was mentioned in the movie which I thought it’s just a legend. Until November 5th on my way home after work, I was driving on the highway … WOW! I saw a HUGE RAINBOW! Not far away from it, there’s another dim rainbow. Ah … now I got the idea of double rainbow. It was very amazing since I’ve never seen one before.

Based on Wikipedia, a dim secondary rainbow is seen outside the primary bow. Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky.

Top photo - taken in Vancouver on Nov 5, 2010. Can you see the secondary rainbow there? Bottom photo - taken in Richmond on Nov 5, 2010 - It's interesting to know that the colours of secondary rainbow are inverted with red inside and blue outside.

Softly sighs the rainbow
Misty songs of old
Flowing by the skyline
My secret lullaby

Softly sighs the rainbow
Stories seldom told
Flowing by the skyline
My love songs that never rhyme

I...Stand alone below lingering by my secret rainbow
Ah...My secret rainbow