APOD: 2026 October 4 – Supernumerary Rainbows Over New Jersey

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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 4, 2026, features a photograph of at least five supernumerary rainbows seen over the Jersey Shore after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed in 2018. The display is explained by sunlight waves interfering inside raindrops that are nearly uniform in size; the image and account are credited to photographer John Entwistle.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 4, 2026, features a photograph showing at least five supernumerary rainbows over the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. Photographer John Entwistle captured the display in 2018, after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed the area, recording an uncommon optical pattern produced when sunlight waves interact inside similarly sized raindrops.

NASA’s APOD entry says the image was made after the storm remnants passed over the Jersey Shore. The Sun appeared in one direction while the rainbows formed in the opposite direction. Over about half an hour, the colorful arcs faded in and out. Entwistle and his daughter watched the changing display, and at least five bands are visible in the featured single photograph, according to the NASA explanation.

The extra, closely spaced bands are known as supernumerary rainbows. NASA says they form when falling raindrops are nearly the same size, typically less than one millimeter across. Under those conditions, sunlight does not only reflect within the drops: light waves also interfere, creating additional bands beside the primary rainbow.

The APOD explanation describes the interference as a wave effect comparable to overlapping ripples on a pond. It says the phenomenon can be explained only by treating light as a wave, and that reports of supernumerary rainbows in the early 19th century were regarded as early evidence for the wave nature of light. The page lists Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti and Keighley Rockcliffe among its authors and editors.

A Rainbow That Shows Light’s Wave Nature

The photograph draws attention to a visible atmospheric event that also illustrates a basic principle of physics. Supernumerary bands arise through wave interference, rather than through the simple reflection and refraction account commonly used to explain an ordinary rainbow. Their appearance gives observers a way to see how light waves can reinforce or cancel one another under particular conditions.

The image also shows how specific conditions in the atmosphere shape what people see. NASA links the extra arcs to raindrops of nearly uniform size, while the timing after the storm provided rain and sunlight in different parts of the sky. The APOD feature does not present the display as a new scientific discovery; its value is in connecting a striking photograph with the physical explanation behind it.

From Florence’s Aftermath to APOD

The scene dates to 2018, when the remnants of Hurricane Florence had passed over the New Jersey shore. NASA’s account says the Sun came out while the photographer saw the rainbow display opposite it. The image was captured during a roughly 30-minute period when the bands appeared and faded, rather than depicting a permanent formation.

NASA publishes an Astronomy Picture of the Day featuring an image or photograph with an accompanying explanation. The October 4, 2026, entry revisits Entwistle’s older photograph and gives readers a scientific account of the extra arcs. The page credits the image to John Entwistle and identifies APOD as a service involving NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation and Michigan Technological University.

The physical explanation depends on droplet size. When drops are not all the same size, the interference patterns do not line up as clearly; when their sizes are similar, the bands can become visible. NASA describes the relevant drops as typically below a millimeter wide. The source does not provide measurements of the drops in this particular New Jersey scene.

What the Photograph Cannot Establish

The NASA page identifies the setting, photographer, year and general conditions, but does not give an exact date or location within the Jersey Shore. It also does not report measurements of the raindrops, the camera settings, or how the number of visible bands was determined. The photograph shows at least five supernumerary rainbows; NASA does not claim that this was the maximum number present during the display.

The source describes the rainbows as appearing after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed through the region. It does not claim that the storm itself created the particular droplet conditions, nor does it provide independent analysis of the weather at the precise time of the photograph. The account is an explanatory APOD feature, not a new field study or a report of a recent observation.

The Next APOD Feature

NASA’s listing identifies the next APOD image with the brief label “open space.” The October 4 entry does not announce a follow-up investigation or additional reporting on Entwistle’s photograph. Readers seeking more detail about the image can consult the APOD page, which provides the credit, explanation and names of the authors and editors.

The immediate value of the feature is educational: it pairs a documented photograph with an account of how wave interference can create additional rainbow bands. Any further specifics about the original observation, including its exact date, precise location or measured atmospheric conditions, are not provided in the source material.

Key Questions

What did NASA feature on October 4, 2026?

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day featured a 2018 photograph by John Entwistle showing at least five supernumerary rainbows over New Jersey’s Jersey Shore.

What makes these rainbows supernumerary?

They are extra bands beside the main rainbow, produced when light waves interfere inside raindrops that are nearly uniform in size. NASA says the drops are typically less than one millimeter across.

When and where was the photograph taken?

The APOD account says it was taken at the Jersey Shore in 2018, after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed. It does not give an exact date or a more specific location.

How long did the display last?

NASA’s explanation says the rainbows faded in and out over about half an hour. It does not state the exact duration of each individual band.

Does the APOD feature report a new discovery?

No. The entry revisits an existing photograph and explains the physics of the visible bands. It does not describe a new study or claim that the 2018 display was a new scientific finding.

Source: primary