Why does a rainbow stay still while it's raining?

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  • Thread starter Thread starter cragar
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    Rainbow
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of rainbows and their apparent stability during rainfall. Participants explore the relationship between the position of the sun, the distribution of raindrops, and the visual perception of rainbows.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why rainbows appear crisp and stationary despite ongoing rainfall.
  • Another suggests that the abundance of raindrops can be likened to a high-resolution image, implying that this contributes to the rainbow's clarity.
  • A third participant emphasizes that the critical factor is the sun's position relative to the observer, rather than the individual positions of raindrops.
  • A later reply expresses gratitude for the insights provided, indicating a positive reception of the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus, as multiple perspectives on the factors influencing the appearance of rainbows are presented.

Contextual Notes

There may be assumptions regarding the observer's perspective and the specific conditions under which rainbows are viewed that are not fully articulated.

cragar
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Why does a rainbow look so crisp and stationary if the rain is falling. It seems like it would cut in an out.
 
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There's a lot of rain. Think of it as a lot of megapixels in the image.
 
whats actually important is the position of the sun relative to you, not the position of individual rain drops.
 
ok that helps guys thanks for the answers.
 

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