Words by

Nanna Árnadóttir

@nannaarnadottir

Photo by

RÚV

A double rainbow appeared over Reykjavík yesterday morning, reports RÚV. But what does it mean?

The rainbow appeared at 8 am yesterday to mesmerise all the tired commuters of Reykjavík for a spell.

Double rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50–53°.

As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is also fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky.

Paul Vasquez, AKA Double Rainbow Guy, visited Iceland in the summer of 2010 to spread the word of the Rainbow. As readers familiar with YouTube will recall, Paul’s video – which shows his awestruck reaction to the appearance of a double rainbow outside his home – brought him global fame and glory after it went viral.

Check out the famous video below and read the Grapevine’s interview with Vasquez here.