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General Science / Have you ever passed through a rainbow?
« on: 05/12/2018 23:24:47 »
Since 1969, I have searched for those who have had an experience similar to the one I had with a rainbow. I have learned that it is scientifically impossible to touch a rainbow, much less pass through one and view it from all angles. Nevertheless, that is what happened to me.
At the time, I was an USAF officer stationed at Fort Yukon, Alaska. Two companions and I frequently explored the wilderness in a 28 foot, flat bottomed boat on the many tributaries of the Yukon River. On one occasion, we were about 100 miles north of the Artic Circle on the Black River when we saw a rainbow in the distance. We thought nothing about it until we got closer and could see that it landed in the middle of the river ahead of us. We expected it to disappear, as we had basic knowledge of rainbows and knew that we would not be able to actually pass through it.
As we got closer, we began to realize that we were experiencing something very unusual and strange. We decided to steer the boat through the rainbow and see if it would disappear as we did it. The rainbow did not disappear or move as we passed through it. The colors could be seen on our clothing and belongings. We judged that the "thickness" of the rainbow was about five feet in the horizontal and about 30 feet in the vertical. The rainbow terminated in the water and extended into the sky in a large arc, for what seemed to be several hundred feet. We continued to navigate around the rainbow and observe it from all sides. We passed through it several more times before continuing up the river and leaving it behind.
We all agreed that we had experienced something very extraordinary but didn't realize at the time that it was scientifically impossible. Years later, I felt the need to share the experience with others and posted my story online. Surely, we were not the only three people in the world that had seen a rainbow from the inside and touched it.
I don't expect the scientific community to believe my story, but it is true. Not that the status of an individual making such a claim has anything to do with the validity of such a claim, but if you are thinking that I might be someone who would be prone to exaggeration or fabrication, I am not. I am a retired architect who co-founded a company with 150 employees and offices in four cities.
If you have had a similar experience, I want you to know that you are not alone, and you are not crazy.
At the time, I was an USAF officer stationed at Fort Yukon, Alaska. Two companions and I frequently explored the wilderness in a 28 foot, flat bottomed boat on the many tributaries of the Yukon River. On one occasion, we were about 100 miles north of the Artic Circle on the Black River when we saw a rainbow in the distance. We thought nothing about it until we got closer and could see that it landed in the middle of the river ahead of us. We expected it to disappear, as we had basic knowledge of rainbows and knew that we would not be able to actually pass through it.
As we got closer, we began to realize that we were experiencing something very unusual and strange. We decided to steer the boat through the rainbow and see if it would disappear as we did it. The rainbow did not disappear or move as we passed through it. The colors could be seen on our clothing and belongings. We judged that the "thickness" of the rainbow was about five feet in the horizontal and about 30 feet in the vertical. The rainbow terminated in the water and extended into the sky in a large arc, for what seemed to be several hundred feet. We continued to navigate around the rainbow and observe it from all sides. We passed through it several more times before continuing up the river and leaving it behind.
We all agreed that we had experienced something very extraordinary but didn't realize at the time that it was scientifically impossible. Years later, I felt the need to share the experience with others and posted my story online. Surely, we were not the only three people in the world that had seen a rainbow from the inside and touched it.
I don't expect the scientific community to believe my story, but it is true. Not that the status of an individual making such a claim has anything to do with the validity of such a claim, but if you are thinking that I might be someone who would be prone to exaggeration or fabrication, I am not. I am a retired architect who co-founded a company with 150 employees and offices in four cities.
If you have had a similar experience, I want you to know that you are not alone, and you are not crazy.