National Find a Rainbow Day — 3 April

Rainbows are caused by the reflection, refraction, and dispersion of light in water, resulting in a visual spectrum of light appearing in the sky, taking the form of a multicolored arc. They always appear on the side of the sky directly opposite to the sun. 

Don’t go chasing rainbows, because they’re not necessarily located at a specific distance from where you observe them. They’re an optical illusion viewed from a certain angle to a relative light source, meaning the closer you try to get, the further away it goes. Even if you see someone who appears to be standing right beneath the rainbow, they’ll see a different rainbow further off into the distance. In the words of Kermit the Frog, “Rainbows are visions, they’re only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.”

In 1979, Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher wrote the iconic “Rainbow Connection” performed by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) in The Muppet Movie, creating many young children’s and adults’ new favorite song. Henson told them that the opening scene should feature Kermit sitting by himself, playing a banjo and singing. Williams and Ascher wrote the majority of the song fairly quick, but got stuck on the chorus. While explaining to Williams’ then-wife, Kate, over dinner their predicament, they said they needed a phrase that would “provide a rainbow connection.” However, while explaining it, they realized that “rainbow connection” was the exact phrase they needed. Basically, rainbows are more than science — they’re pretty magical too. That’s the rainbow connection.