It’s a full-on double rainbow all the way across the sky.

The bright, beautiful and vivid arches were seen over Abbotsford during the brief respite from heavy rains Thursday evening (Nov. 4).

DOUBLE RAINBOW #Abbotsford
Credit: Stacy Nichol pic.twitter.com/fzPN0yADOp

— Patrick Penner (@portmoodypigeon) November 5, 2021

But what does it all mean?

These patterns are not the work of a leprechaun’s hidden pot of gold, but from sunlight reflecting off water droplets in the air.

The multicoloured arcs are created when the light strikes the airborne moisture at a precise 42-degree angle. As light waves enter a water droplet, they refract at multiple angles, creating the intense optical illusion.

The appearance will actually change depending on where the viewer stands, and observers from airplanes can sometimes see a full circular rainbow.

When the sunlight is reflected twice inside the same raindrop it creates a double rainbow. This is what causes the colour spectrum of the secondary arc to reverse.

@portmoodypigeon
patrick.penner@missioncityrecord.com
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