Rare photo of the ‘end’ of the rainbow

Orange County Register Online ^ | February 8th, 2009 | Gary Robbins

[dangus]

(To put it another way, that driver of that SUV has no idea that the photographer sees him as being at the end of the rainbow; he probably sees a rainbow some distance ahead of him.)

[Covenantor]

..A rainbow is an optical effect; as you approach it, it “moves.” I’m not sure how you could possibly “catch” one to drive through the end. That’s where the legend of the pot of gold comes from: it’s illusory....

Just so. Flying through low clouds in a helicopter one can see two circular rainbows. one above and one below...cool!

[traderrob6]

I have never have seen that before.

[aruanan]

That’s the second closest I’ve seen, well, except for the one on a garden hose.

[Raycpa]

A rainbow is an optical effect; as you approach it, it “moves.”

Spoilsport. Some things are better without knowledge.

[FreeManWhoCan]

That’s not a rainbow. Its Obama looking at Google earth and just focusing on any spot in the USA. His eyes can create rainbows with pots of gold and gumdrops, and a perfect stimulus package.

[dangus]

It just makes it harder to catch ;^)

[bert]

While driving south on I 75 in Knoxville Tennessee one afternoon, there were multiple rainbows visible. For a while, one actually began (ended ) on my right front fender.

The rain was falling while there was bright sunlight.

[bert]

You described what I experienced, only better than I did. There was a bright, golden if you will, aura

[TXnMA]

Under certain conditions, while flying over clouds, if you look down at your aircraft’s shadow, (directly opposite the sun) you will see it surrounded by a rainbow. The effect is called a “glory” — and, like an ordinary rainbow, the area within the arc/circle will be noticeably darker...

[Majie Purple]

This is neat!... Ping!

[TXnMA]

Correction: the area inside a "glory" (circular antisolar rainbow)

will be noticeably brighter...

[bmwcyle]

A liberal’s nightmare to see this at the end of the rainbow.

[JohnBovenmyer]

The pot of gold is no doubt in the back seat of the SUV speeding away in the distance.

With (granting this is California) the Governator in close pursuit.

[silent_jonny]

Thanks for the ping :) I’ve never seen that before.

[Majie Purple]

You're most welcome:) Neither had I till that pic.

[Malsua]

Probably a large hydrocarbon deposit just below the surface.

[ottbmare]

A rainbow is an optical effect; as you approach it, it “moves.” I’m not sure how you could possibly “catch” one to drive through the end.

You would have to approach it at precisely the correct angle so that the angles between your eyes, the water in the air, and the sun continued to be the same. It is the angle of the light that is then broken into the spectrum by water in the air, so you could theoretically approach a rainbow just as I can approach the spectrum playing on my wall where the sun breaks across a crystal chandelier each afternoon.

[Covenantor]

Viewing them from a helicopter while at the edge or in cloud cover the rainbows appear very near...pretty awesome.

[dangus]

No, that would result merely in the rainbow remaining in the same RELATIVE position to you. The analogy to the prism on the wall doesn’t work because the wall is a fixed reflective surface.