Where should we look to find a rainbow?

Think of the fresh smell of wet grass after a rain. You may have looked up on a day like that and seen a rainbow. Its soft colors curve across the sky like a giant painted bridge.

A rainbow feels like a surprise, as if it popped out of nowhere. Yet you can learn to find one. So where should we look to find a rainbow?

First, a rainbow needs sunshine and falling rain together. We call this a sun shower, which means sunshine and rain at the same time. The sun brings the light, and the raindrops catch it.

So watch for a sun shower in the morning or late in the afternoon. Then the sun sits low, close to the treetops. A low sun lets the rainbow rise high above the ground, where you can see it.

Next, stand so the sun is behind you, warm on the back of your neck. The sunlight shines past you. It travels on into the rain ahead.

Each tiny raindrop catches that sunlight and bounces it back toward you, glowing in colors. That is why you face away from the sun. The colors come to your eyes from the rain.

Now look down at the ground in front of you. Your shadow stretches out there, pointing into the rain. Where do you think the rainbow will be?

The rainbow curves around the head of your shadow, like a big shining hoop. Follow your shadow with your eyes, then lift them up toward the rain. There it is, glowing in the sky!

So remember: sun shower. The sun shines past you into the rain, so look where your shadow points.

What a clever rainbow finder you are. Sleep tight, and dream of bright colors shining over the rain.