The Other Side of the Rainbow

So, I may not describe this very well and some of you may even feel the urge to comment to explain that the moment I am about to share is actually impossible.  And, I won’t be at all surprised, because, until the other day, I would have assumed it was impossible too.

Please do, if you’re in the know, share the science behind this!

The definition of a rainbow from one source is, “an arch of colors formed in the sky in certain circumstances, caused by the refraction and dispersion of the sun’s light by rain or other water droplets in the atmosphere.”

So, the question I have is…. Is it possible to actually go through a rainbow?  Because, this is what happened the other day…

While driving home from Florida, somewhere in Virginia, the rain started to come down heavier than I have ever (EVER) experienced before.  Sadly, at that moment, I happened to be driving.  When I say that there were moments that I could not see a single thing out of my windshield, I swear I am not exaggerating even one little bit!  There were moments that I lost sight of all other cars, the side of the highway, and even the painted lines that divided the lanes of the highway.  It was for sure the most scared I have ever been behind the wheel.

Thankfully, it was relatively short lived.  The torrential rains lasted only a couple of minutes…two different times.  When the second downpour came to an end, cars were pulled over in random spots all along the highway.  Some cars had pulled into the breakdown lane and stopped, some had pulled off into the grassy median between north and south bound traffic, and some had pulled over just before exit/on ramps.  I consider it an absolute miracle that no accidents occurred within our immediate vicinity, but I am certain that they must have happened elsewhere.  How could they not?

So, again, when the rain had come to an end, there was, of course, a pretty spectacular rainbow.  At first, it was off to our right, but the tree line was blocking it enough that getting a good photo was impossible.  After a moment, however, it was right smack in front of us.  I asked my husband to quickly get a photo, but, I swear, no sooner than he held the phone up, the rainbow was gone.  It appeared as if we actually drove right through the rainbow.  It was there……and then, right before my eyes, it was gone.  I wish I had had the where with all to turn around and see if it was actually behind us, but I didn’t.  So…did we actually drive through it?   Did it just disappear coincidently at that very moment?  I guess I always thought that, much like the horizon, you could never actually get to a rainbow….that it was always kind of just out there…in the sky.

So, I welcome all explanations….but, be kind.