Why is the color green never in the sunset or the sunrise, but it is in the rainbow?
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When the sun is setting, the position of it results in a mixture of reds, oranges and yellows.  This is because those particular wavelengths are refracted less and therefore seen.  As a result, the other wavelengths (green, blue, indigo, violet) are not seen.  This is also the case in sunrises but sunsets are more brilliant because there are more particles in the air at this time of day (dust, pollution, dirt).  The increase in "substance" in the air results in refraction of ROY to increase.  \nThe dominance of the other three wavelengths (BIV) or (ROY) are seen more as apposed to green.  Remember, when you see color in the sky (either reds, oranges and yellows during sunset/sunrise or blues during midday) this is a mixture ,  so the "in between" wavelength, green, is overridden. \nHowever, there are occasions when you can see green in a sunset for a short period of time.  This is known as "a green flash."  You can read on about this rare phenomenon at: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/atmos/redsun.html
1103987
Rainbows are caused by dispersion of sunlight as it is refracted by (approximately spherical) raindrops. The light is first refracted as it enters the surface of the raindrop, reflects off the back of the drop, and is again refracted as it leaves the drop. The overall effect is that the incoming light is reflected back over a wide range of angles, with the most intense light at an angle of about 40°–42°, regardless of the size of the drop. Since the water of the raindrops is dispersive, the amount that the sunlight is bent depends upon the wavelength (color) of the light's constituent parts. Blue light is refracted at a greater angle than red light, but because the area of the back of the droplet has a focal point inside the droplet, the spectra crosses itself, and thus the red light appears higher in the sky, and forms the outer color of the rainbow.\n\nA rainbow is an optical phenomenon whose apparent position depends on the observer's location. All raindrops refract and reflect the sunlight in the same way, but only the light from some raindrops reaches the observer's eye. These raindrops are perceived to constitute the rainbow by that observer. Its position is always in the opposite direction of the sun with respect to the observer, and the interior is actually a magnified image of the sun, which can be seen to be slightly brighter than the exterior. The bow is centred on the shadow of the observer's head, or more exactly at the antisolar point (which is below the horizon during the daytime), appearing at an angle of approximately 40°–42° to the line between the observer's head and its shadow (this means that if the sun is higher than 42° the rainbow is below the horizon and cannot be seen unless the observer is at the top of a mountain or a similar vantage point).\n\nSometimes, a second, dimmer rainbow is seen outside the primary bow, caused by a double reflection of the sunlight inside the raindrops, and appears at an angle of 50°–53°. Because of the extra reflection, the colours of the bow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. (The full sequence of colors is red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet.)\n\nA triple rainbow is even more rarely seen. A few observers have reported seeing quadruple rainbows in which a dim outermost arc had a rippling and pulsating appearance.
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Things have unique color because they reflect and absorb light frequencies differently.  Green chlorophyll absorbs all of the other component colors of the visible spectrum and only reflects green light; therefore, we say 'it's green.'\n\nYou might still ask, "...but why?" and the answer would probably be one that describes the atomic/molecular components of chlorophyll and their their particular physiologic properties.\n\n(((( r u randy? ))))\n.
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"The sky is blue partly because air scatters short-wavelength light in preference to longer wavelengths. Where the sunlight is nearly tangent to the Earth's surface, the light's path through the atmosphere is so long that much of the blue and even yellow light is scattered out, leaving the sun rays and the clouds it illuminates red, at sunrise and sunset."
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The main colors of a rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, but there isnt usually that much purple. By the way, that list is from outside to inside.
1169657
there's a rainbow always after the rain
483599
the other answers are somewhat correct but unnecessarily long....\n\n1. the rainbow is actually a circle that is partially visible as an arch due     \n    horizon limitations.\n\n2.  it is a circle because the light source ( the sun ) is a circle.
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Sky blue\n--------\n\nYou did not check the archive of previously asked questions before you posted your question about the sky's color. This has been asked and answered more than 400 times so far here. \n\nHowever, the reason the sky appears blue (at least most of the daylight hours) is that the atmosphere is mostly oxygen and nitrogen, which are just the right size molecules to scatter the blue light, but let the other colors pass unimpeded. \n\nSo when you take the blue away from the mostly white sunlight, you get sorta yellow sunlight. \n\nAs the sun sets, the sunlight passes through more air, and more blue is scattered away, leaving the sunlight even less blue, that is, more orange. \n\nAs the sun sets even farther, even more blue is scattered away, and the sunlight appears red.\n\nGrass Green\n-------------\n\nFrom the color of chlorophyll, the chemical that plants use to capture energy from sunlight. \n\nEarth Boring\n-------------\n\nIf the earth is boring, then what is not boring to you?
436348
A rainbow is seen when the Sun is behind you and water is in the air in front of you. You can make one with a water hose or maybe see one in the air with rain in the area. Natural rainbows appear very large and several miles away. The top is all you can see because the ground in front of you blocks the lower portion of the rainbow. However, when seen from an airplane, rainbows are complete circles.
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An inverse rainbow is when the colors are reversed so that the red band of color is on the inside of the rainbow and the blue band is on the outside.  Moonbows, or, halos, are inversed. I wasn't aware that rainbows were different here and there. If they are, my guess is the explanation would be found in optics and, maybe bioelectric fields stuff? Here's a GREAT website for future reference and to put in your Favorites file.  Just click on any "circle" of science and follow the algorithm. Handy little tool. Can't wait to come back and read if someone has an explanation.\nhttp://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html
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http://eo.ucar.edu/rainbows/\n\nThe traditional description of the rainbow is that it is made up of seven colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Actually, the rainbow is a whole continuum of colors from red to violet and even beyond the colors that the eye can see.\n\nSunlight is made up of the whole range of colors that the eye can detect. The range of sunlight colors, when combined, looks white to the eye. This property of sunlight was first demonstrated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. \nLight of different colors is refracted by different amounts when it passes from one medium (air, for example) into another (water or glass, for example
43821
When light and water meet in the sky on a summer's day, for a few moments, a rainbow will appear. Such a beautiful sight! This phenomena of the atmosphere appears during or immediately following local showers, when the sun is shining and the air contains raindrops. A rainbow can best be seen with polarized sunglasses. We cannot follow the arc of a rainbow down below the horizon, because we cannot see those droplets in the air below the horizon. But the higher we are above the ground, the more of the rainbow circle we would see. That is why, from an airplane in flight, a rainbow will appear as a complete circle with the shadow of the aitplane in the center.\n\nThe bow is divided into bands displaying the different colors of the spectrum and is formed by the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain. Reflection is simply the return of light waves from the raindrop's surface. Light which appears to be white, is really made up of a mixture of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet light
424597
Rainbows are caused when sunlight is bent as it passes through raindrops.  Different wavelengths of light (different colors) bend at slightly different angles, which separates the white light into its different colors.  Because there is a specific angle that each color bends, these colors will always be at a specific distance from the sun.  Next time you see a rainbow, you can notice that the sun is either at the center of the rainbow, or else the rainbow is centered at a point directly opposite the sun in the sky.
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The arc is what YOU see. the truth is that it is a complete circle obscured by the horizon. The colors are not created by the raindrops (moisture droplets would be more accurate) but by the angle the light is shining through them. it is a relative thing as well meaning the view or lack of depends on your perspective. No matter how scientifically I describe this; a rainbow is an amazing thing and I hope you enjoy every one you see!
414227
You guys got a lot of it, but the sun is actually green. The atmosphere absorbs much of the light to make it more of a yellowish white light. Pollution and the ozone layer trap and absorb the green light that the sun produces. Then you see what you see. (were you looking at the sun??? :)
122346
Why don't you search the answers to the previously posted questions here on this topic? This has been asked over and over. \n\nHere is a little bit to get you started:\n\nRainbows are caused because the different colors in white light are bent by different amounts in rain drops, so the colors get separated. The sun shines from behind the observer, and then bounces off the back surface of the raindrops, and those raindrops that are at the required position for light to reach the observer from the sun contribute to the rainbow. This arc is formed by the collection of raindrops which are at the vertices of angles of 42 degrees between the observer and the sun.
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(m)\n\nAs the sun begins to set, the light must travel farther through the atmosphere before it gets to you. More of the light is reflected and scattered. As less reaches you directly, the sun appears less bright. The color of the sun itself appears to change, first to orange and then to red. This is because even more of the short wavelength blues and greens are now scattered. Only the longer wavelengths are left in the direct beam that reaches your eyes\n\nThe sky around the setting sun may take on many colors. The most spectacular shows occur when the air contains many small particles of dust or water. These particles reflect light in all directions. Then, as some of the light heads towards you, different amounts of the shorter wavelength colors are scattered out. You see the longer wavelengths, and the sky appears red, pink or orange