While walking near a lake, a father and son spotted the “end of the rainbow,” as if the rainbow had touched down on the ground. This completely genuine video has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and many people believe that anyone who sees the “end of the rainbow” is very lucky. But how can we explain this phenomenon?
When a rainbow appears in the sky, no one thinks they can find its endpoint. However, Wesley Mawer from Ontario, Canada, while strolling with his 2-year-old son near a lake, accidentally observed a small “whirlwind” gliding across the water, with a part of a brilliant rainbow touching down on the grass nearby. Surprised, he captured this image of the “end of the rainbow.”
The video received hundreds of thousands of views in just one day, with netizens expressing surprise and delight at seeing a rainbow touch the ground for the first time.
Many people claim that this is indeed a sign of good luck, as there is an English idiom that refers to a “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” symbolizing things that people desire but are very difficult to obtain. This idiom is believed to originate from ancient mythological tales, where fairies hid pots of gold at the end of the rainbow to keep them out of reach, as no one could ever reach the rainbow’s endpoint.
A small whirlwind on the water and the “end of the rainbow.” (Photo: Wesley Mawer).
While the legend goes that way, in reality, Mawer and his son witnessed a true rainbow endpoint. Some netizens knowledgeable about physics explained that sometimes, in good weather, a “tiny tornado” can form when warm air rises from the water and cool air descends above it. This tiny tornado creates water mist, which in turn creates a rainbow due to the refraction of light (sunlight bending through tiny water droplets). Regardless, seeing the “end of the rainbow” is indeed lucky since this phenomenon does not occur frequently.
You can imagine this phenomenon similarly to when you spray a water fountain in sunlight; at that moment, sunlight and tiny water droplets can also create a rainbow.
