Can you catch the end of a rainbow?

Question

My son and I went "Rainbow Chasing" after a storm today. Can you actually *catch* the end of a rainbow? Just wondering. =)

Answer 1

no you can't really catch a rainbow. rainbows are round

Answer 2

WOW! i really wish they could. I wouldnt care if there was a pot a gold at the end but that would be aswome if they could!

Answer 3

A rainbow is an angular refraction effect relative to the observer and therefore has no true apparent "distance" to it, or better said, it appears to be at infinity.  

From the observer's standpoint, the raindrops that form the rainbow effect are the ones that intercept an imaginary cone extending out for infinity from the observer's eye in the opposite direction of the sun.   If that cone intercepts a distant rainstorm, the rainbow appears to be at the distance of the storm.  But from someone in the storm, all the drops along the cone from next to the eye to the end of the storm are glowing, and the rainbow just seems to be at infinity.  Rainbows usually look like an arc rather than a circle because that imaginary cone usually intersects the ground before it hits enough drops to be visible, but not so if observed from a plane or edge of a cliff.   Or you can make a rainbow circle by spraying a hose in front of your shadow--the angle and position is the same as a weather rainbow.

Since that cone of light is relative to the observer, each observer sees the rainbow in a different location relative to him or herself.  As the observer moves, so does the cone and therefore the rainbow.  So trying to catch a rainbow is like the rabbit trying to catch the carrot that is tied on a stick in front of itself.  it moves with the rabbit and it never catches up.

Answer 4

No, usually you can only see a rainbow from certain angles. If you were to "chase" the end of a rainbow, it would fade away slowly.

Answer 5

No, but wouldn't that be cool?

Answer 6

No, rainbows are actually like rings around the earth, they have no beginning or end. They are illusions, and sadly, no pots of gold await. But dreams have no limits! Rainbow chasing sounds like a fun thing to do.