No, lightning cannot directly hit a rainbow. A rainbow is an optical phenomenon—the reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light in water droplets. It doesn't physically exist in a location that lightning could strike. Lightning, on the other hand, is an electrical discharge between charged areas in the atmosphere.
Understanding Rainbows and Lightning
- Rainbows: Rainbows are formed by sunlight interacting with water droplets in the air. They are essentially an illusion, a spectrum of light appearing to arc across the sky.
- Lightning: Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge caused by the buildup of static electricity in clouds. It travels through the air to discharge this built-up energy.
While a photograph might show lightning appearing near a rainbow, this is simply a coincidence of both phenomena occurring simultaneously in the sky. The lightning bolt is striking a location in the atmosphere; the rainbow is not a physical object in that location.
As stated in the provided reference: "once in a while, somebody beats the odds and has a camera in hand when lightning dances around rainbows". This highlights the rarity of capturing such a photographic occurrence, emphasizing that lightning and rainbows are separate atmospheric events. The 2015 photograph of lightning near a double rainbow in Texas is a compelling example of this coincidental juxtaposition.
The Photographic Illusion
Photographs can be misleading. A picture of lightning seemingly intersecting a rainbow doesn't imply a physical interaction. It simply shows two distinct atmospheric occurrences captured in the same image.
