10 Remarkable Types of Rainbows You’ve Probably Never Seen

Most people believe they’ve experienced the full extent of rainbow beauty. While the classic rainbow is always a breathtaking sight, there’s a hidden world of lesser-known variations that can be even more captivating.

Primary Arcs

This is the iconic rainbow everyone knows—a vibrant arch appearing after rainfall when sunlight is bent and bounced within droplets in the air. The brilliance of its hues depends largely on the size of the raindrops involved.

Double Bands (Secondary Rainbows)

Often appearing just beyond the main arc, this fainter, wider band is created when sunlight reflects twice within the raindrop before exiting. Its color order is reversed, and it’s about half as bright as the primary rainbow.

Alexander’s Shadow Zone

Situated between the primary and secondary rainbows, this noticeably dimmer stretch of sky results from light being redirected away—illuminating areas inside and outside the arcs while leaving this in-between region darker by contrast.

Multiple Fringe Rainbows (Supernumerary Arcs)

These delicate additional bands appear just inside the main arc and are caused by lightwave interference within tiny, similarly sized raindrops. They’re rare and often form in smooth, evenly curved sequences.

Crimson Rainbows

Occasionally, you’ll witness a rainbow washed in deep reds and oranges—typically during sunrise or sunset. In these conditions, the shorter wavelength colors like blue and green scatter out, leaving the longer red tones to dominate.

Fog and Mist Rainbows

Rather than arising from rainfall, these pale arcs emerge in fog or damp cloud when sunlight interacts with minuscule droplets. Their subtle, ghostly appearance is due to their inability to scatter full-spectrum color. Often wider and whiter, they may show up over oceans, lakes, or even land shrouded in light mist.

Split Rainbows (Twinned Arcs)

Rare and striking, these double arcs seem to share the same starting point but quickly diverge. This effect happens when varying sizes of raindrops—some larger, some smaller—coexist in the same rainfall, causing their own unique light paths and rainbow formation.

Surface-Bounce Rainbows (Reflected and Reflection Types)

These unusual types form only over large water surfaces. A reflected rainbow appears when sunlight bounces off water before reaching the raindrops. A reflection rainbow, less commonly seen, occurs when sunlight reflects off water after passing through the air and interacting with droplets—requiring very precise viewing angles.

Rotating Arc Wheels (Rainbow Wheels)

When thick clouds or heavy rainfall obscure sunlight, a faint circular rainbow may emerge, shaped like a wheel with radial “spokes.” These spokes form from shadows and can seem to spin if the clouds drift quickly across the sky.

Moonlit Rainbows (Lunar Bows)

Rainbows created by moonlight rather than the Sun are called lunar rainbows or moonbows. These faint nighttime arcs require a full moon and falling rain, as well as dark skies. Their colors are typically very muted or even appear white, as moonlight is too dim to stimulate the color-sensitive cells in the human eye.

There’s a whole spectrum of rainbow phenomena waiting to be discovered—proof that even familiar wonders can surprise us when conditions align just right.