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How Rainbows Form And Why We See Them : Short Wave It's another "Back To School" episode where we take a concept you were maybe taught in school as a kid, but didn't really learn or just forgot. Short Wave producer Thomas Lu and host Maddie Sofia go on a journey to explore what a rainbow exactly is and how we see them! We all remember ROY G BIV, right?

Email us your Back-To-School ideas at shortwave@npr.org.
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Why We See Rainbows

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Why We See Rainbows

Short Wave

Why We See Rainbows

Why We See Rainbows

Listen · 8:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/942038068/942400300" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
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Rainbow in Lenk, Switzerland Fredy Jeanrenaud / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

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Fredy Jeanrenaud / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Rainbow in Lenk, Switzerland

Fredy Jeanrenaud / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

It's another "Back To School" episode where we take a concept you were maybe taught in school as a kid, but didn't really learn or just forgot.

Short Wave producer Thomas Lu and host Maddie Sofia go on a journey to explore what a rainbow exactly is and how we see them...with some help from Kerstin Nordstrom, professor of physics at Mount Holyoke College.

Email us your Back-To-School ideas at shortwave@npr.org.

This episode was produced and reported by Thomas Lu, edited by Viet Le and fact-checked by Ariela Zebede.