What is meant by scattering of light? Use this phenomenon to explain why the clear sky appears blue or the sun appears reddish at sunrise.
Answers
The phenomenon in which a part of the light incident on a particle is redirected in different directions is called the scattering of light.
The blue colour of the sky is due to the scatterin; of sunlih b the molecules of atmosphere. The light of shorter wavelength (blue) of the visible spectrum is scattered more than the light of longer wavelength by the atmospheric particles. When we look at the sky, the scattered light enters our eyes which majorly contains blue colour and hence the sky appears blue.
At the time of sunrise and sunset, when the Sun is near the horizon, sunlight travels a greater distance through the atmosphere to reach us. During this, most of the shorter wavelengths present in it are scattered awa from our line of sight by the molecules of air and other fine particles in the atmosphere. So, light reaching us directly from the rising or setting Sun consists mainly of the longer wavelength red colour because of which the Sun appears red.
Scattering occurs when light or other energy waves pass through an imperfect medium (such as air filled with particles of some sort) and are deflected from a straight path. ... The light is deflected off of its straight path and scatters in many directions.
During this, most of the shorter wave lengths present in it are scattered away from our line of sight by the molecules of air and other fine particles in the atmosphere. So, light reaching us directly from the rising or setting Sun consists mainly of the longer wave length red colour because of which the Sun appears red.
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