Arch of heaven : the science and mystery of the rainbow

Arch of Heaven tells the remarkable story of the rainbow.

Venerated as a god and goddess, feared as a demon, and a test for optical theories, the rainbow is woven into our culture, mythology and science, bridging the divide between science and art.

The rainbow has always fascinated mankind; it is the subtlest phenomenon that nature presents us, yet it has not had a biographer until now.

From the myths of the Incas and Ancient Egyptians, through the Dreamtime and the fabled 'pot of gold,' to the thoughts of Newton, Decartes and Victorian scientists, this book tells the story of how man has tried to understand the 'bow of heaven'. But, as award-winning science writer David Whitehouse shows, even today the answer to all of its mysteries eludes us.

We have not, and perhaps never will, reach the end of the rainbow.