Fall Meeting 2015 Press Conference: Why all rainbows don’t look alike

Throughout history, rainbows not only have enchanted poets and painters, but these vibrant aerial lightshows also have sparked researchers’ curiosity. In this briefing, the presenter will discuss a new way to characterize rainbows, a classification generated from hundreds of pictures of these colorful arches. The new system provides insights into why the hue and width of color bands vary among rainbows. Participants: Jean Ricard, Research Scientist, Center for the scientific study of optical atmospheric phenomena, National Centre for Meteorological Research, Météo-France, Toulouse, France.