A mystery I would love for someone to help me solve!......

I know there will be an explanation for this but......

About 12 years ago as I was walking through some fields and industrial estates I saw the end of a rainbow...I would say it was about no more than about 20 feet away from me.It was on the other side of some locked gates of an industrial unit so it stopped me investigating closer.
But....I am aware that scientifically speaking that it is supposed to be impossible because a rainbow moves with you. But when I have googled the subject there are others who claim to have seen the same thing.

So it may be a long shot but does anybody have any light to shed on the subject? I would love to have an idea about what i saw....

reply to post by Logos23


i would think that where the moisture in the air is no longer as dense would be were the rainbow would stop, so from ones point of view, if someone was in an area were moist air and dry air met they would percieve the end of the rainbow. im not a rainbowoligist, but that seems right. for instance have you ever been on the edge of a storm were you can walk in and out of the rain.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


this is a quote from Wiki and seems to contain the same information i have found from other sources....

The rainbow is not located at a specific distance, but comes from any water droplets viewed from a certain angle relative to the Sun's rays. Thus, a rainbow is not an object, and cannot be physically approached. Indeed, it is impossible for an observer to manoeuvre to see any rainbow from water droplets at any angle other than the customary one of 42 degrees from the direction opposite the Sun. Even if an observer sees another observer who seems "under" or "at the end of" a rainbow, the second observer will see a different rainbow further off - yet, at the same angle as seen by the first observer.

reply to post by Logos23


what im saying is there is no more water to observe the prism effect through, than the rainbow can only be observed from certain places on the earth at certain times, thus creating an end of the rainbow,

I would of scaled that fence to check if its true theres a pot of gold waiting As for helping you, sorry... Its never happened to me.

I've come pretty close to a natural rainbow, and they do not have to move. When you get close though they do disappear though. you can make one with a hose and it doesn't move either when you walk around it. I don't know who wrote that Wikki article but it is not always right. Sun angle is important and so is where the moisture is.

12 years ago...why now? Just curious...umm...what time of day was it?

Originally posted by DarknStormy
I would of scaled that fence to check if its true theres a pot of gold waiting

As for helping you, sorry... Its never happened to me.

Watch out for this guy, he guards the gold.

Originally posted by BrokenAngelWings33
12 years ago...why now? Just curious...umm...what time of day was it?

she joined on the 26th of November.. 2012

reply to post by cavalryscout


If I seen that I would be scaling the fence twice, once to check and once to get the hell out of there as fast as possible..

Originally posted by Dustytoad

Originally posted by BrokenAngelWings33
12 years ago...why now? Just curious...umm...what time of day was it?

she joined on the 26th of November.. 2012

Yup.
That must be the reason.

reply to post by Logos23


Rainbows do have ends they are just extremely rare to be seen

The date she joined ATS notwithstanding...just seems that if she was so interested in this...waiting 12 years to find out just seemed kind of odd to me, nevertheless...

www.deltatech.com...

The legends of many cultures see the rainbow as a kind of bridge between heaven and earth. One of the most beautiful sights in nature, the rainbow has become in western culture a symbol of renewed hope; something lucky to look upon. To Iranian Moslems, even the brilliance of the colors in a rainbow have significance. A prominent green means abundance, red means war, and yellow brings death. The Arawak Indians of South America recognize the rainbow as a fortunate sign if it seen over the ocean, while tribes in northeastern Siberia see it as the tongue of the sun. The North American Catawba Indians of the Southeast and the Tlingit of the Northwest both regard it as the bridge between the living and the dead.

I love rainbows and consider them to be quite mystical and a good omen...seeing them only happens during certain element conditions...and no 2 eyes see the same rainbow, but rather variations...either way...this is my contribution.

BAW33

reply to post by Logos23

1)you perceived it to have an end is all...rainbows only exist in perception
2)the gates only prevented you from upclose end of the rainbow painted on the building...you could of hopped such gate

This is one I photographed while trucking out west of Kingman, Arizona on I-40. It seemed to stay relatively stationary to my moving down the road for quite a way before fading.

you can "see" the end of a rainbow, you just can't walk up to it, stand in it, and "see" the rainbow


ETA: but if you have a bag of skittles, you can still taste it!!!


...sorry, couldn't help myself

reply to post by PurpleChiten


ETA = estimated time of arrival...why do you use it in this post this way?

and just for you...


Couldn't resist

reply to post by Logos23



I took this picture the day I met the love of my life...


And I heard this song the same day...

Originally posted by BrokenAngelWings33
The date she joined ATS notwithstanding...just seems that if she was so interested in this...waiting 12 years to find out just seemed kind of odd to me, nevertheless...

I didn't have internet in those days....but for the last 4 years since i have, I have only been able to find information where scientists say It's impossible to see a rainbow's end on the ground so close up, as a rainbow isn't a physical thing it's an optical illusion that will always move with you.The only evidence i have seen to the contrary is people claiming they have. I have posted my story on other forums with the same response...the scientists telling me it's impossible and other members of the public posting similar stories to mine.

I wouldn't have let a standard fence or gate stop me from the 20 feet or so distance i was from it.....but it was a security fence and as much as i was in awe, I figured it wasn't wasn't worth becoming impaled over!
But i was close enough to see that indeed a pot of gold didn't exist!

reply to post by BrokenAngelWings33


ETA can also refer to "Edited To Add", not just "Estimated Time of Arrival". It's just one of those multipurpose Internetese acronyms.


As to the OP, I'm sure there's always an exception to the rule. I've never been anywhere near close to any rainbow, but I'm well aware that people have been able to gain close proximity to them depending on lighting & relative humidity. I wonder if temperature also may play a role?