Can a weather-related rainbow on Earth be seen from a space viewpoint, for example from the International Space Station?
by 
mintchocolate57
ANSWERS: 2
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Almost certainly not. Rainbows are single-sided phenomena, caused by sunlight being refracted by rain or moisture in the air, and can only be seen when one is in a particular position relative to the sun and the rainfall. The observer must be facing the rain with the sun at their back. Technically, it might be possible for a space observer between the sun and the earth to catch a glimpse of such a phenomenon. If the observer were in space between the sun and the earth, and there were a large rainstorm falling at enough of an angle that the clouds didn't block the observer's view of all the rain, and the observer looked in just the right place at just the right time, perhaps a small rainbow effect might be visible. But in practical application it will probably never happen. There is another related phenomena commonly called a "sun dog" or a "moon dog," where rainbow bands appear in circles around the sun or the moon. This is again caused by a refraction of light through moisture in the atmosphere, so would not be visible from space.
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I have personally seen a rainbow from an airplane. When you are high enough, the rainbow appears to be a full circle. It is the same phenomenon as if you had a mist generating device hooked onto your garden hose. If you look at the mist with the sun at your back, you will see a full circle rainbow. That is what I saw. FBM
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