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 over the Jersey Shore. The image was taken in 2018 after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed through; the close-set rainbow bands form when similarly sized water droplets cause light waves to interfere.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 4, 2026, features a photograph of at least five supernumerary rainbows over the Jersey Shore in New Jersey. Photographer John Entwistle took the image in 2018 after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed, capturing a rare-looking series of extra bands formed through the wave behavior of light in raindrops.

NASA’s APOD explanation says the scene appeared after the storm remnants had moved over the Jersey Shore. The Sun emerged in one direction while the rainbows appeared in the opposite direction. Over the following half hour, the bands faded in and out; Entwistle’s featured single image records at least five. The NASA page describes the photographer and his daughter watching the display.

The closely spaced extra arcs are called supernumerary rainbows. NASA explains that they form when falling water droplets are nearly the same size, typically less than a millimeter across. Light does more than reflect inside the droplets: it also behaves as waves that interfere, producing additional colored bands beside a primary rainbow.

The October 4 page credits the photograph to John Entwistle and lists Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti and Keighley Rockcliffe as authors and editors. APOD is a daily NASA feature that pairs an astronomy-related image or photograph with an explanation written by a professional astronomer. The image itself dates to 2018; the 2026 development is its selection for the day’s feature.

How Droplets Make Extra Arcs

The image makes a subtle optical effect visible: the extra bands are not simply additional reflections arranged like separate rainbows. According to NASA’s explanation, their appearance depends on light waves interfering after sunlight encounters droplets of closely matched size. The bands therefore provide a visible example of wave behavior in light, tied to the physical conditions in a rain shower.

That connection also gives the photograph historical scientific context. NASA says supernumerary rainbows were noted in the early 1800s and that their existence was considered early evidence for the wave nature of light. The APOD feature connects a brief local weather display to a foundational idea in optics, while making clear that the phenomenon depends on the droplets’ size distribution.

For readers, the practical takeaway is that an unusual rainbow pattern can reflect conditions within the rain itself, not only the position of the Sun and observer. NASA’s account explains why similar-looking bands may appear beside a main arc when droplets are sufficiently uniform. The photograph is a visual illustration, rather than a new scientific measurement or announcement of a research result.

From Florence to the APOD Feature

The photograph records a scene from 2018, following the passage of remnants of Hurricane Florence over the Jersey Shore. NASA’s account describes the Sun returning as the unusual arcs appeared opposite it. The reported half-hour span refers to the period during which the photographer and his daughter saw the bands fade in and out, not to the duration of a storm or a scientific observation campaign.

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day publishes a different image or photograph each day, accompanied by a short explanation. The October 4, 2026, entry revisits the New Jersey photograph as its featured image. NASA lists the service as associated with the Astrophysics Science Division at Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation and Michigan Technological University.

The page also points readers to APOD’s birthday-image feature for dates after 1995 and notes that the next day’s picture is titled “open space.” Those are elements of the daily feature schedule; they do not add further evidence about the 2018 rainbow display.

What the Photograph Cannot Establish

NASA’s feature says the image captures at least five supernumerary rainbows, but the provided explanation does not give a precise count beyond that minimum or specify how the image was processed. It also does not provide measurements of the droplets, the camera settings, or a detailed account of the weather at the moment of capture.

The explanation gives the general physical conditions associated with supernumerary arcs, but it does not report direct measurements showing the size distribution of droplets in this particular shower. The 2018 timing and location are identified in NASA’s account; further details about the storm’s local effects or the photographer’s methods are not included. The APOD entry is an image feature, not a separate verification study.

The Daily Image Continues

NASA’s APOD feature continues with a new image each day. The October 4 entry lists “open space” as the title of the next day’s picture. The supplied material does not announce any follow-up research, new observations, or additional reporting about Entwistle’s 2018 photograph.

Readers seeking the source account can consult NASA’s APOD page for October 4, 2026, which includes the image credit, explanation and service information. Any further scientific detail about the specific New Jersey display would require material beyond the explanation published with this feature.

Key Questions

What did NASA feature on October 4, 2026?

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

When and where was the photograph taken?

NASA says the image was taken in 2018, after the remnants of Hurricane Florence passed over the Jersey Shore in New Jersey.

What causes supernumerary rainbows?

NASA explains that they form when raindrops are nearly the same size, typically less than a millimeter across. Light waves interfere after interacting with the droplets, creating extra bands beside a primary rainbow.

Did NASA report a new scientific discovery?

No new discovery is reported in the supplied material. The development is the photograph’s selection for the October 4, 2026, APOD; the image itself documents a 2018 event.

Source: primary