Why is the sky blue?
Answers
Answer:
Why is the sky blue (short answer)?
The sky is blue due to a phenomenon called Raleigh scattering. This scattering refers to the scattering of electromagnetic radiation (of which light is a form) by particles of a much smaller wavelength. Sunlight is scattered by the particles of the atmosphere, and what comes through down to earth is called diffuse sky radiation, and though only about 1/3rd of light is scattered, the smallest wavelengths of light tend to scatter easier. These shorter wavelengths correspond to blue hues, hence why when we look at the sky, we see it as blue. At sunset and sunrise, the angle at which sunlight enters the atmosphere is significantly changed, and most of the blue and green (shorter) wavelengths of light are scattered even before reaching the lower atmosphere, so we see more of the orange and red colors in the sky.
Explanation:
- As white light passes through our atmosphere, tiny air molecules cause it to ‘scatter’.
- The scattering caused by these tiny air molecules (known as Rayleigh scattering) increases as the wavelength of light decreases.
- Violet and blue light have the shortest wavelengths and red light has the longest.
- Therefore, blue light is scattered more than red light and the sky appears blue during the day.
- When the Sun is low in the sky during sunrise and sunset the light has to travel further through the Earth’s atmosphere.
- We don’t see the blue light because it gets scattered away, but the red light isn’t scattered very much so the sky appears red.
Sunlight reaches Earth's atmosphere and is scattered in all directions by all the gases and particles in the air. Blue light is scattered more than the other colors because it travels as shorter , smaller waves. That is why sky appears blue