R is for Rainbows

I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

double-rainbow-lrgBecause I was bereft of a topic, I decided to Google the word rainbows. Interesting things I found:

About Rainbows

Author Donald Ahrens in his text Meteorology Today describes a rainbow as “one of the most spectacular light shows observed on earth”. Indeed the traditional rainbow is sunlight spread out into its spectrum of colors and diverted to the eye of the observer by water droplets. The “bow” part of the word describes the fact that the rainbow is a group of nearly circular arcs of color all having a common center.

Think You Know Rainbows? Look Again

Although the most common rainbow is a single crescent containing every color from red through violet, if you pay close attention, you will discover that rainbows come in a surprising variety of colors and shapes. And scientists are finally figuring out why.

From Wiktionary:

From Middle English reinbowe, reinboȝe, from Old English reġnboga ‎(“rainbow”), from Proto-Germanic *regnabugô ‎(“rainbow”), equivalent to rain +‎ bow ‎(“arch”). Cognate with West Frisian reinbôge ‎(“rainbow”), Dutch regenboog ‎(“rainbow”), German Regenbogen ‎(“rainbow”), Danish regnbue ‎(“rainbow”), Swedish regnbåge ‎(“rainbow”), Icelandic regnbogi ‎(“rainbow”).

XKCD (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License).
rainbow-xkcd

Bible verses about rainbows (Genesis 9:12-17 and others)

God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth…”

Welcome to Reading Rainbow® Skybrary Family

Skybrary is a carefully curated, ever-expanding interactive library of digital books and video explorations designed to engage young readers and foster a love of learning.

rainbowbridge
Rainbow Bridge National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

Rainbow Bridge is one of the world’s largest known natural bridges. The span has undoubtedly inspired people throughout time–from the neighboring American Indian tribes who consider Rainbow Bridge sacred, to the 85,000 people from around the world who visit it each year.

The Couch in Rainbow Colors: ‘L.G.B.T.-Affirming’ Therapy

Started in 2006, Antioch’s program is, to its leaders’ knowledge, the country’s first and only graduate-level L.G.B.T.-affirming clinical psychology specialization.

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto.

16 thoughts on “R is for Rainbows”

  1. Saw a double rainbow at our son’s place a month ago. So cool. Love the Rainbow Bridge National Monument. It would be great to see it in person.

  2. We see rainbows here fairly frequently with our temperate but rainy winters. When I was teaching, I’d use the anagram “Roy G Biv” for the kids to remember the colours in order.

    Leslie
    abcw team

  3. Always reason for great excitement after a storm, to see a rainbow in the sky. This valley has played host to some splendid and gorgeous bows….

  4. I like rainbows, as a child I was told there was a pot of gold
    at the end of a rainbow. Search as we did , neither my brother
    nor I ever found one but our dad used to give us a sixpenny bit
    for our sheer efforts in trying to swell the family fortunes!

    Best wishes,
    Di.
    ABCW team.

  5. The Rainbow Bridge is an amazing sight. I thought I might see a rainbow this morning, torrential rain with bright sunshine but no:( but then their unexpected appearance is part of the charm. Seeing Leslie’s anagram reminded me of the English one which mixes a bit of history as well – Richard of York gave battle in vain.

  6. I love rainbows ! It’s a long time I haven’t seen one ! Sorry being late, but I spread my ankle and wasn’t feeling well !

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