Rainbows, Halos, Dawn and Dusk

This book explores the captivating colors that appear in Earth’s atmosphere—coronas, glories, halos, rainbows, dawn, and dusk. It invites the reader to observe these ephemeral appearances with renewed attention and understanding. In addition, it introduces us to little-known key experiences in Goethe’s life that were intimately related to his scientific pursuits and his deep experience of color. 

Following the holistic phenomenological method developed by Goethe in his theory of colors, this book bridges the expanse between human experience and the physics of atmospheric colors. The unfolding descriptions take on an artistic quality, through which our experience of the color phenomena is deepened as our scientific insight becomes enriched. 

This book will prove helpful to scientists looking for a fresh approach to optics or an introduction to Goethe’s phenomenological science; to teachers looking for new ways to present optics lessons; and to anyone who loves colors and wishes to deepen their relationship to them. 

Originally published in German in 2011 as Höfe, Regenbögen, Dämmerung.