APOD: 2026 October 4 – Supernumerary Rainbows Over New Jersey

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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on Oct. 4, 2026, featured a photograph of at least five supernumerary rainbows over the Jersey Shore. The image was taken in 2018 after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed; the accompanying explanation describes how wave interference in similarly sized raindrops produces the extra bands.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on Oct. 4, 2026, featured a photograph showing at least five supernumerary rainbows over the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. The image, captured after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed in 2018, illustrates an uncommon optical effect produced when sunlight interacts with similarly sized raindrops.

The NASA APOD explanation says the photographer, John Entwistle, saw the display after the storm remnants moved over the Jersey Shore. The Sun emerged in one direction while the rainbows appeared in the opposite direction. Over roughly half an hour, vibrant bands faded in and out; Entwistle’s featured photograph captured at least five. The image credit is listed as John Entwistle.

NASA describes supernumerary rainbows as forming when falling water droplets are nearly the same size, typically less than a millimeter across. Light can reflect inside the droplets, but the additional closely spaced bands arise from wave interference as light waves interact. The agency compares the effect to ripples overlapping on a pond.

The APOD entry says the phenomenon cannot be explained by rays of light alone and requires a wave account. It also notes that supernumerary rainbows were regarded as early evidence for the wave nature of light when their existence was discussed in the early 1800s. The feature was written by APOD editors Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti and Keighley Rockcliffe, according to NASA.

How Extra Rainbow Bands Form

The photograph offers a visible example of light behaving as a wave, rather than simply showing a conventional rainbow. Supernumerary bands appear close to the main rainbow and can be vivid, but they depend on a specific condition: water droplets must have a relatively uniform size. That sensitivity helps explain why the effect is not seen in every shower.

For readers, the image connects an ordinary weather event to a basic physical principle. The bands are not separate rainbows caused by multiple storms; NASA attributes them to interference within light scattered by droplets. A single photograph can therefore serve as an illustration of wave behavior that is otherwise difficult to observe directly.

The report is an educational astronomy feature, not a new scientific study or a forecast of unusual weather. Its immediate value is to explain why a striking scene occurred and to identify the physical mechanism offered by the agency.

A 2018 Shoreline Display

The date in the APOD title is the publication date, October 4, 2026; the rainbow photograph itself dates to 2018. NASA’s description places it after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed over the Jersey Shore. The source does not give a more precise date or location for the photograph.

APOD is NASA’s daily astronomy picture feature, which presents an image or photograph with an explanation. In this entry, the subject is an atmospheric optical event rather than a distant astronomical object. NASA credits the image to Entwistle and lists the Astronomy Picture of the Day service as supported by NASA’s Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation and Michigan Technological University.

Details the Image Does Not Give

NASA’s entry does not specify the photograph’s exact date, the precise shoreline location, or the camera and exposure settings. It reports that at least five bands appear in the featured image, but does not provide a measurement of the droplets or a detailed analysis of the image. The explanation describes the conditions associated with supernumerary rainbows generally; it does not report direct measurements from this particular storm.

The source also does not say how many people witnessed the display beyond mentioning the photographer and his daughter. No new observations or research findings are announced. The feature is an account of a past event paired with an explanatory description, so there is no developing weather situation indicated by the report.

The Daily Feature Continues

NASA’s APOD page identifies the next day’s picture only as “open space.” It does not provide further reporting or a follow-up investigation into the New Jersey photograph. Readers seeking the original image and its full caption can consult the Oct. 4 APOD entry; the source presents the rainbow as a completed event from 2018 rather than a current forecast or ongoing study.

Key Questions

When was the New Jersey rainbow photograph taken?

NASA says it was taken in 2018, after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed over the Jersey Shore. The APOD entry does not give the exact date.

What are supernumerary rainbows?

They are additional, closely spaced rainbow bands associated with light waves interfering after interacting with water droplets. NASA says they form when droplets are nearly uniform in size, typically less than a millimeter across.

How many rainbows appear in the image?

The APOD caption says at least five supernumerary rainbows were captured in the featured single shot.

Is this a new discovery or weather event?

No. NASA published the photograph as its Oct. 4, 2026, Astronomy Picture of the Day, but the display occurred in 2018. The entry explains the optics and does not announce new research or current weather conditions.

Source: primary