Rainbow connection

T-G sports editor Danny Parker and Mary Cook of our pagination department, who were in different parts of the county yesterday evening, each got double-rainbow photos. You can see both here online; Mary's photo is on the front page of our Friday print edition.

I was curious -- I'd noticed it before -- about the dark area between the inner and outer rainbows. It turns out that it's known as Alexander's band. (Wikipedia helpfully remarks that it's "not to be confused with Alexander's Ragtime Band." Thanks, Wikipedia!) It's named for a Greek philospher, Alexander of Aphrodisias, who first identified it. I won't try to summarize Wikipedia's explanation, which is somewhat technical.