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humn
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Original solution by YowE3K   (who later turned it into this community wiki)

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:


Atmospheric Optics


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building


  



LayoutAdded layout from puzzle’s poser:

The rightmost diagram represents what can happen when the sun sets in a direction almost parallel to the wall of a high-rise building (whose corner is the gray rectangular area with writing) and reflects off its windows. A second rainbow is created by the sun’s reflection, as if there were a second sun, but neither rainbow’s right half is illuminated for different reasons.
• A portion of sunlight for the directly-lit rainbow is blocked by the building.
• Reflected sunlight that would complete the second rainbow (dimmer and left shifted) is not present due to the viewpoint’s position and the sun’s angle.
The building’s vertical wall plays the same reflective role as horizontal bodies of water in the photographs above, which is why the doubling is oriented 90° differently.

For comparison, shadows are often doubled in a related manner:

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:


Atmospheric Optics


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building


 

Layout from puzzle’s poser:

The rightmost diagram represents what can happen when the sun sets in a direction almost parallel to the wall of a high-rise building (whose corner is the gray rectangular area with writing) and reflects off its windows. A second rainbow is created by the sun’s reflection, as if there were a second sun, but neither rainbow’s right half is illuminated for different reasons.
• A portion of sunlight for the directly-lit rainbow is blocked by the building.
• Reflected sunlight that would complete the second rainbow (dimmer and left shifted) is not present due to the viewpoint’s position and the sun’s angle.
The building’s vertical wall plays the same reflective role as horizontal bodies of water in the photographs above, which is why the doubling is oriented 90° differently.

For comparison, shadows are often doubled in a related manner:

Original solution by YowE3K   (who later turned it into this community wiki)

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:


Atmospheric Optics


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building

 



Added layout from puzzle’s poser

The rightmost diagram represents what can happen when the sun sets in a direction almost parallel to the wall of a high-rise building (whose corner is the gray rectangular area with writing) and reflects off its windows. A second rainbow is created by the sun’s reflection, as if there were a second sun, but neither rainbow’s right half is illuminated for different reasons.
• A portion of sunlight for the directly-lit rainbow is blocked by the building.
• Reflected sunlight that would complete the second rainbow (dimmer and left shifted) is not present due to the viewpoint’s position and the sun’s angle.
The building’s vertical wall plays the same reflective role as horizontal bodies of water in the photographs above, which is why the doubling is oriented 90° differently.

For comparison, shadows are often doubled in a related manner:

Add pictures and diagrams.
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humn
  • 22k
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  • 161

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:


http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim47.htmAtmospheric Optics


I'm thinking that the actual answeractual answer is something to do with

light reflectingreflecting off the windowswindows of a highhigh-rise building


Layout from puzzle’s poser:

The rightmost diagram represents what can happen when the sun sets in a direction almost parallel to the wall of a high-rise building (whose corner is the gray rectangular area with writing) and reflects off its windows. A second rainbow is created by the sun’s reflection, as if there were a second sun, but neither rainbow’s right half is illuminated for different reasons.
• A portion of sunlight for the directly-riselit rainbow is blocked by the building.
• Reflected sunlight that would complete the second rainbow (dimmer and left shifted) is not present due to the viewpoint’s position and the sun’s angle.
The building’s vertical wall plays the same reflective role as horizontal bodies of water in the photographs above, which is why the doubling is oriented 90° differently.

but I'm not confident enough of the physics to say that that is definitely the answer.For comparison, shadows are often doubled in a related manner:

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim47.htm


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building

but I'm not confident enough of the physics to say that that is definitely the answer.

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:


Atmospheric Optics


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building


Layout from puzzle’s poser:

The rightmost diagram represents what can happen when the sun sets in a direction almost parallel to the wall of a high-rise building (whose corner is the gray rectangular area with writing) and reflects off its windows. A second rainbow is created by the sun’s reflection, as if there were a second sun, but neither rainbow’s right half is illuminated for different reasons.
• A portion of sunlight for the directly-lit rainbow is blocked by the building.
• Reflected sunlight that would complete the second rainbow (dimmer and left shifted) is not present due to the viewpoint’s position and the sun’s angle.
The building’s vertical wall plays the same reflective role as horizontal bodies of water in the photographs above, which is why the doubling is oriented 90° differently.

For comparison, shadows are often doubled in a related manner:

Post Made Community Wiki by YowE3K
Bounty Ended with 50 reputation awarded by John
added 174 characters in body
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YowE3K
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This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim47.htm


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building

but I'm not confident enough of the physics to say that that is definitely the answer.

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building

but I'm not confident enough of the physics to say that that is definitely the answer.

This isn't an answer to the exact question, but the following link is to an image that I thought was worth looking at anyway:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim6.htm

And @justhalf found another image which looks even more like the one in the question, except rotated 90 degrees:

http://atoptics.co.uk/rainbows/bowim47.htm


I'm thinking that the actual answer is something to do with

light reflecting off the windows of a high-rise building

but I'm not confident enough of the physics to say that that is definitely the answer.

Source Link
YowE3K
  • 798
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