Photographer: Stefan Pleister; Stefan’s Web site
Summary Authors: Stefan Pleister; Jim Foster

The photo above showing a handsome rainbow arching over lush green fields near Korbach, Germany was taken at a meeting of amateur astronomers. An afternoon thundershower had just moved through the area and while waiting for our evening viewing session this primary rainbow quickly got our attention. Although it seems close at hand, there’s no specific distance from onlookers where a rainbow can be exactly located. Attempting to photograph a complete rainbow sweeping across the landscape, like the one above, can be exasperating since a typical camera (35 mm) has a field of view that’s smaller than the angular size (42 degree angle) of the primary bow. This also holds true if you’re trying to snap a picture of a rainbow formed by the spray of a fountain — the angular size of such a bow is still 42 degrees. If you want to capture the entire bow, use a fisheye or wide-angle lens. Photo taken on August 20, 2011.

• Korbach, Germany Coordinates: 51.2833, 8.8667
• Related Links
  • Rainbow Over Piberbach, Austria
  • Field Guide to Rainbows
• Earth Observatory
  • City Lights of Europe