DOUBLE RAINBOW OVER A COASTAL WATERFALL

 DOUBLE RAINBOW OVER A COASTAL WATERFALL

It happened in Hawaiʻi, on the Nā Pali Coast of Kauaʻi, right as a warm shower faded and the sky cleared in layers.

A waterfall was dropping straight into the ocean, throwing mist into the air — and that mist, mixed with leftover rain, gave the sunlight the perfect screen to split into two arcs of color. The wet sand and rolling surf caught the same light, turning the shoreline into a moving mirror.

What makes the “double” happen: the second, fainter arc forms when light reflects twice inside the droplets, so the colors appear reversed and softer.