Question

Q. Can visible light be scattered by atoms/molecules in earth's atmosphere?

Answer 1

There are two types of scattering of light waves/radiation.

1. Rayleigh scattering:
     This happens when light waves are scattered by very tiny objects smaller than the wavelength of light. (400 nm - 700 nm). The atoms and molecules of Oxygen/Nitrogen in the atmosphere, having diameters of 0.3 nm approx, do scatter light rays. That is one of the reasons why sky appears blue usually.

2.  Mie scattering:
     This happens when large particles like cloud particles, dust or impurities scatter light due to their shape or other reasons. When cloud particles (water/ice) scatter they scatter all wavelengths equally, so sky appears white.