Scent of rain

As a matter of fact, downpour has no odour. When it rains, the substance called geosmin consolidates with plant oils which are discharged from the soil to give it a natural aroma and the scent that lingers afterward is called “petrichor.”

Double rainbow

A double rainbow occurs when sunlight is reflected twice inside a raindrop. If you look closely, you can see that the colours of the secondary rainbow appear in reverse order.

Acid rain

Rain with high levels of acid (a low pH) is called acid rain.

Caused by the release of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air (often from factories and power stations), it can be harmful to plants and animals.

On other planets

Rainfall happens on other planets of the solar system too.

However, it is different from the rain we encounter here on earth. There it might be made out of methane, neon and sulphuric acid or iron, rather than water. Rain on Venus is made of sulphuric acid, and on Saturn’s moon Titan, precipitation is methane rather than water.