1- Rainbows, what can they tell us? Quite a bit actually. If you see a rainbow then the moisture above is liquid – not frozen. So less chance of snow or other frozen precipitation.
Start reading the rainbows and noticing how wide are the different color bands. When the red bands are wider, then we know moisture/raindrops above are larger. If the blue bands are wide – then the raindrops above are smaller. Now – think about forecasting the weather. Larger drops of moisture are heavier. Therefore more likely to fall …therefore rain.
Remember it like this: Wide red, Wet head.
2- Are Rainbows magic? Gifts from angles? Or just what are they? Let us go back to Sir William Frederick Herschel, in 1800 he used a prism to refract sunlight light into its multiple colors, temperatures, & energies. He also discovered energy outside of the visible light spectrum – just outside of the red light. That is called Infrared.
Water drops suspended in the sky act like a prism (just like Herschel’s) to the sunlight pouring through. The refraction of the sunlight causes the rainbow. The shortest wavelengths refract the most and are the closest to the ground – the blues. The reds are always on top – away from the ground.
EXCEPT: When there is a double rainbow. The primary rainbow is the closest to the ground. The top or secondary rainbow is on top and is the mirror image of the primary rainbow. The secondary rainbow has the reds closest to the ground. The secondary rainbow is usually fainter.
Rainbows are usually seen early to mid-morning and mid to late afternoon. The sun has to be at a certain angle to the drops of water.
PS: No pots of gold. I tried.
S- Why is a bird better than a fly?
T- Well… A bird can fly. But a fly can’t bird.
3- In # 64 we talked about “it.” What did we forget to do about “it”? Add shovel and screening material and poles (for the screens) and lashing material to our packing list. Without a door – Bring enough material to go around 5 sides. [ 4 sides plus overlap the front side for privacy. ] Don’t forget the seat & toilet paper holder.
4- A language that you can learn & get an Interpreters Strip for is Sign Language. This will open up a new world of friends.
U- What is black, white & yellow, black, white & yellow, & black, white & yellow?
V- Three cows eating bananas.
5- Look at the night sky on a clear night. Can you find Polaris – the North Star? Part of the constellation Ursa Major is called the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper’s pointer stars should help you find Polaris. If the light pollution is minimal, then try to see Ursa Minor – the Little Dipper. It is just as distinctive but dimmer, smaller, & harder to see.
Looking up,
Gaither