Can You Get Rainbows in Space?: A Colourful Compendium of Space and Science

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Can You Get Rainbows in Space? starts with an explanation of how we see light and colour. It then takes each colour of the rainbow and shares some key facts about it. For example, at Indian weddings some brides wear red which symbolises love, commitment and strength and that in the early 1900s, purple was one of the colours representing Women’s Suffrage which stood for freedom and dignity. This is followed by more information on other aspects linked to the colour such as why the seas are blue or why leaves turn orange in Autumn. I found the facts fascinating and I liked the way that each colour was a different section. After the colours there is a section ‘ Beyond the Rainbow’ which explores the parts of the spectrum that are invisible to the human eye. Finally, the book focuses on rainbows and answers the title of the book – Can You Get Rainbows in Space? On Saturn’s moon Titan, for example, the atmosphere is rich in liquid methane droplets that almost certainly form rain. Titan’s atmosphere is extremely hazy, meaning that direct sunlight is probably uncommon, but there is still a chance that methane rainbows could form. If they do exist, they would look very similar to terrestrial rainbows, but would be somewhat broader due to the different refractive index of methane compared to water. This may be why only five scientifically knowledgeable observers had described tertiary rainbows during the past 250 years. When Lee presented his findings at last year's International Conference on Atmospheric Optics, it sparked heated discussion. Some scientists insisted that past descriptions were wrong and that tertiaries were too dim to see in the Sun's glare.

The Moon can make rainbows too. They are called Moonbows ! They are formed the same way as rainbows, only using the Moonlight, i.e. the light of the Sun reflected off the Moon. The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c... Oeddech chi’n gwybod bod gan hipopotamysau chwys coch, bod llygaid glas yn hollol glir heb unrhyw bigment o gwbl, a bod bananas goraeddfed yn pelydru lliw indigo o dan olau uwchfioled?

To answer the last question, let’s see how to make a rainbow on Earth. Hopefully it will help us figure out whether the similar ingredients and conditions can be found on other planets and moons. Earth rainbows

At the end of the show, your pupils will be set a Story Making Mission to write a story to change the world, using top tips from each of our guests on the show. Performing some colourful experiments to find out if you can get rainbows in space with help from our resident expert Dr Sheila Kanani, author of Can You Get Rainbows in Space?.Another similar phenomenon, called a ‘glory’, occurs on Venus (pictured) and is caused by droplets of sulphuric acid that are present in the planet’s atmosphere. Can You Get Rainbows in Space?: This non-fiction book explores space and science by looking at each colour of the rainbow. This is a well written book which helps children to explore science in the everyday world. The use of clear diagrams and illustrations helps to bring the science aspects alive and support understanding. These add to the text rather than distract from it and children will find them interesting. This fascinating, brightly illustrated book opens readers’ eyes to science through colour. Dr Sheila Kanani begins by explaining what colour is, how we see it and how we see light. An experienced educator, her explanations are clear and inspiring, setting readers up for what is to come.