                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2023 March 13
   A grassy hill is seen topped by a small tree. The tree appears to be at
    the end of a bright and colorful rainbow. Please see the explanation
                       for more detailed information.

                                Rainbow Tree
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Eric Houck

   Explanation: What lies at the end of a rainbow? Something different for
   everyone. For the photographer taking this picture, for example, one
   end of the rainbow ended at a tree. Others nearby, though, would likely
   see the rainbow end somewhere else. The reason is because a rainbow's
   position depends on the observer. The center of a rainbow always
   appears in the direction opposite the Sun, but that direction lines up
   differently on the horizon from different locations. This rainbow's arc
   indicates that its center is about 40 degrees to the left and slightly
   below the horizon, while the Sun is well behind the camera and just
   above the horizon. Reflections and refractions of sunlight from
   raindrops in a distant storm in the direction of the rainbow are what
   causes the colorful bands of light. This single exposure image was
   captured in early January near Knight's Ferry, California, USA.

                    Tomorrow's picture: Soul of the night
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

