The Naked Scientists
  • Login
  • Register
  • Podcasts
      • The Naked Scientists
      • eLife
      • Naked Genetics
      • Naked Astronomy
      • In short
      • Naked Neuroscience
      • Ask! The Naked Scientists
      • Question of the Week
      • Archive
      • Video
      • SUBSCRIBE to our Podcasts
  • Articles
      • Science News
      • Features
      • Interviews
      • Answers to Science Questions
  • Get Naked
      • Donate
      • Do an Experiment
      • Science Forum
      • Ask a Question
  • About
      • Meet the team
      • Our Sponsors
      • Site Map
      • Contact us

User menu

  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Help
  • Search
  • Tags
  • Recent Topics
  • Login
  • Register
  1. Naked Science Forum
  2. Non Life Sciences
  3. Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology
  4. Snowbows! are they possible?
« previous next »
  • Print
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Snowbows! are they possible?

  • 4 Replies
  • 8984 Views
  • 0 Tags

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

This topic contains a post which is marked as Best Answer. Press here if you would like to see it.

paul.fr

  • Guest
Snowbows! are they possible?
« on: 02/06/2007 16:57:51 »
we all know about rainbows, but is it possible to have a snowbow? If yes, would it look the same as a rainbow?
Logged
 



Offline syhprum

  • Naked Science Forum King!
  • ******
  • 5198
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Thanked: 74 times
Snowbows! are they possible?
« Reply #1 on: 02/06/2007 22:20:11 »
No....rainbows work because the light is diffracted thru near spherical rain drops this could not happen with snowflakes.
if the snowflakes were hitting a warm layer on the way down, melting to raindrops and then freezing again to hail you could see a rainbow while hail was falling but raindrops never reform into snowflakes.
Logged
 

another_someone

  • Guest
Snowbows! are they possible?
« Reply #2 on: 03/06/2007 03:27:44 »
But in any case, snow is reflective and rainbows happen because of internal refraction, which implies transparency.  Crystalline ice can be substantially transparent, but not normally spherical.
Logged
 

Offline DoctorBeaver

  • Naked Science Forum GOD!
  • *******
  • 12653
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Thanked: 4 times
  • A stitch in time would have confused Einstein.
Snowbows! are they possible?
« Reply #3 on: 03/06/2007 14:47:51 »
Well, now, hold on boy. I say hold on.

Ice crystals in the upper atmosphere cause those solar halos referred to in Neil's recent post.
Logged
 

Marked as best answer by on Today at 11:03:15

lyner

  • Guest
  • Undo Best Answer
  • Snowbows! are they possible?
    « Reply #4 on: 06/06/2007 15:47:43 »
    Just a point of order; It's REFRACTION when light's path is bent as it goes through the boundary between transparent materials and internal REFLECTION when is 'can't get out of'  a raindrop.
    DIFFRACTION is a wave phenomenon more than a  'ray' phenomenon.
    Having said that, Diffraction is the daddy of them all,  in as far as diffraction  calculations can be used to tell you what will happen when light hits anything.  But that's just doing things the hard way, usually.
    Logged
     



    • Print
    Pages: [1]   Go Up
    « previous next »
    Tags:
     
    There was an error while thanking
    Thanking...
    • SMF 2.0.15 | SMF © 2017, Simple Machines
      Privacy Policy
      SMFAds for Free Forums
    • Naked Science Forum ©

    Page created in 0.87 seconds with 36 queries.

    • Podcasts
    • Articles
    • Get Naked
    • About
    • Contact us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe to newsletter
    • We love feedback

    Follow us

    cambridge_logo_footer.png

    ©The Naked Scientists® 2000–2017 | The Naked Scientists® and Naked Science® are registered trademarks created by Dr Chris Smith. Information presented on this website is the opinion of the individual contributors and does not reflect the general views of the administrators, editors, moderators, sponsors, Cambridge University or the public at large.