  $\alpha$+$\alpha$ scattering has a long history since the first experiment by
Rutherford and Chadwick in 1927 and has been studied thoroughly experimentally
and theoretically. However, $\alpha$+$\alpha$ scattering has never been paid
attention from the viewpoint of refractive scattering. I have successfully
analyzed the experimental angular distributions in $\alpha$+$\alpha$ scattering
systematically over a wide range of incident energies $E_L$=53.4 - 280 MeV
using a phenomenological optical model with a deep real potential. The
existence of a farside-dominant quasinuclear rainbow with no well-defined
rainbow angle and no supernumerary bow in the lit side followed by the shadow,
which is not a genuine rainbow but a refractive scattering from a marginally
small droplet at high energies, is found for the first time in
$\alpha$+$\alpha$ scattering. The refraction due to the deep potentials with an
attractive core at short distances are discussed from the viewpoint of the
Luneburg. The deep vs shallow problem of the potential and the nuclear rainbow
scattering in inelastic channels are also discussed.
