HN Explorer

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Andrew_nenakhov
I'm happy that somewhere out there there are scientists studying such really important problems.
404mm
If Hawaii is the answer, then no matter the question, I’m all about being _that_ scientist.
thaumasiotes
Well, of course. No question is more scientific than "which rainbows are better than which other rainbows?"
drcode
Seems pretty straightforward to scientifically compare the intensity of light emitted/reflected by different rainbows.
thaumasiotes
That doesn't get you to saying that one is better than the other.
choward
Right. What if I like the s dim rainbows? All you could say is that Hawaii has the brightest.
prostoalex
In order to avoid the replication crisis that's plaguing the rest of science, where does one submit a grant proposal to independently verify this scientific discovery?
flixic
It is so frustrating to get "Error 403 Forbidden" when visiting from EU. Using US VPN, the page loads fine.

It's been 3+ years to figure out GDPR stuff. 403 Error with zero apologies is just terrible.

jtbayly
Yes. I can’t understand why the EU is still threatening US businesses for legal US practices either. Seems like they would have gotten around to fixing this, but you can certainly try to help it along by complaining to your representatives who made this law and caused this situation.
[dead] redis_mlc
I used to live in Hawaii.

It's normal to see rainbows on a daily basis, and sometimes double-rainbows.

Good memories! :)

js2
I captured this one in NJ in 2015:

https://ibb.co/6rGQvcr

(38.993472° -74.839455°)

I pulled off the Garden State Parkway to take the picture. It’s the finest rainbow I’ve ever seen. Sadly was unable to find an unobstructed view.

There is of course the triple rainbow that famously brought a man to tears in Hawaii a decade ago.

sammalloy
> There is of course the triple rainbow that famously brought a man to tears in Hawaii a decade ago

Are you referring to the late Paul Vasquez's famous viral video? That was filmed outside Yosemite. It was a double rainbow that had a barely perceptible triple rainbow.

js2
Oh, I thought that was HI for some reason. I obviously misremembered. Thank you for the correction.
sammalloy
My guess is that "best" describes the ease and frequency of sighting rainbows. Businger explains this is because orographic precipitation, climate, and clear line of sight due to terrain, make it highly likely to spot a rainbow at least twice a day (early morning and an hour or so before sunset), when the sun is 38 degrees above the horizon on either side of the island. This means you should be able to sight a rainbow closer to the windward side of the island in the morning, and another rainbow closer to the leeward side in the late afternoon. When you take all of these factors into account (more are described in the article), Businger's claim isn't so far off. Given the right conditions, is there anywhere else in the world where you can spot at least two different rainbows every day like clockwork?
Disgardia
No matter where it is, rainbows are amazing. Just thinking about how light gets scattered, it's just amazing of universe
ralusek
Brother Iz knew the whole time.
wizardofmysore
Candidate for Ig Noble award.

My rainbow is better than your rainbow