How it works
Which way do you face to find a morning rainbow, and which gem could never throw a first bow? These rainbow trivia questions and answers take in the science, the history and the stories, with the reason beside each answer.
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Good rainbow trivia questions on the science
When and where a rainbow shows has morning bows, garden hoses and why two people never see the same one. Inside the raindrop follows the light through a single drop. Double, twinned and extra bows, Moonbows and fog bows and Glories, halos and other look-alikes bring red rainbows, sea-dogs and the so-called fire rainbow.
History, colors and stories
Who worked it out runs from Aristotle to a friar with glass globes. Seven colors and how to remember them asks what Newton admitted about his eyes. Myths, flags and poems has Iris, a shattered bridge and the rainbow nation.
- Playing with kids? Start with Seven colors and how to remember them: Roy G. Biv is fair game for everyone.
Questions and answers
What are some easy rainbow trivia questions?
In which part of the sky do morning rainbows appear? Which color sits between blue and violet? Which phase of the Moon gives a moonbow? The answers are the west, indigo and a full moon.
What are the 7 colors of the rainbow in order?
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Isaac Newton first named five and later added orange and indigo. The initials give the memory aid Roy G. Biv, or VIBGYOR read backward.
How is a rainbow formed?
Sunlight is bent as it enters a raindrop, reflected off the back of the drop and bent again on the way out. Each color is bent by a different amount, so white light spreads into a band of colors.
What causes a double rainbow?
Light that reflects twice inside each drop makes a second, fainter bow about 10 degrees outside the first. In theory every rainbow is double, but the second bow is often too weak to spot.
How were the answers checked?
On October 9, 2026, in nine English Wikipedia articles, from Rainbow to Moonbow and Fog bow; each question links its own. The year of one medieval account is not asked, because two articles date it differently.