Arc of Colored Bands

A rainbow separates white sunlight into colored bands. The bands always run from red on the outside edge to violet on the inside edge.

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In the picture

Red outer band
Yellow middle band
Blue inner-middle band
Violet inner band

Examples

A garden hose spray in sunlight can make a small rainbow.
A glass prism can spread white light into a strip of colors.

Key takeaways

In a primary rainbow, red is on the outer edge and violet is on the inner edge.
The order of the colored bands stays the same each time sunlight is separated this way.