Why can the supernumerary bows be seen in a rain shower?
- 1 December 1983
- journal article
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Journal of the Optical Society of America
- Vol. 73 (12) , 1626-1628
- https://doi.org/10.1364/josa.73.001626
Abstract
Although the spectra of drop radii in rain showers are broad, the supernumerary bows are caused by only those drops with radii of about 0.25 mm. The angle of minimum deviation, the rainbow angle, is a function of drop size, being large for big drops, owing to drop distortion, and large for small drops, owing to interference. Between these extremes, there is a minimum rainbow angle. The drops that cause it give rise to the supernumerary bows.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- An Approximation for the Shapes of Large RaindropsJournal of Applied Meteorology, 1975
- THE SHAPE AND AERODYNAMICS OF LARGE RAINDROPSJournal of Meteorology, 1954