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Colour of the sky
Why does the sky appear blue ?
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3 Replies
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There is a science behind the blue colour of the sky. As we know our sun rays carry seven colours and these colours when reach our atmosphere, they scatter. The colour which scatters the most is Blue and Red colour scatters the least. As a result, we see blue in most of the places especially the sky.
The Colour of the Sky
There is a science behind the blue colour of the sky. As we know our sun rays carry seven colours and these colours when reach our atmosphere, they scatter. The colour which scatters the most is Blue and Red colour scatters the least. As a result, we see blue in most of the places especially the sky.
What are the Seven Colours
Apart from Red and Blue the other colours emitted by sun rays are Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and then Red. And whatever the other colours we see is the combination of these major colours.
As the red colour scatters the least so it is used on signboards across the road. They can also be seen on the back of the vehicle. Because it scatters less, it can be seen from far.
Conclusion
It is our nature which has gifted us such beautiful colours and as a result, the sky looks blue, the environment looks green, etc. All these things look like a miracle but are part of science. Nowadays due to pollution, we cannot see the original beauty of colour in our environment. It’s our duty to protect our nature and earth.
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The Sun’s light appears to be white. However, it actually consists of every colour in the rainbow.
Light energy moves in waves just like energy moving through the ocean. In some cases, light moves in brief, “choppy” waves. Compared to red light waves, blue light waves are shorter.
Unless something gets in the way and does one of the following actions, all light travels in a straight line.
(Like a mirror) Reflect it
(Like a prism) Bend it
may disperse it (as atmospheric gas molecules do).
When sunlight enters the atmosphere of Earth, all the gases and airborne particles scatter it in all directions. The microscopic air molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere disperse blue light in all directions. Due to the shorter, smaller waves that blue uses to travel, it scatters more than other colours. This explains why the sky is typically blue.
The sky changes to a paler blue or white as it gets closer to the horizon. Even more, the air has been used by the sunlight that is reaching us from low in the sky than by the light that is coming from above. The air molecules dispersed and re-scattered the blue light numerous times in various directions as the sunshine travelled through all of this air.
The light has also been reflected and dispersed by the Earth’s surface. We perceive more white and less blue as a result of all this scattering, which again blends the colours.
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Sunlight, which appears white to the naked eye, is composed of a spectrum of colors ranging from violet to red. When sunlight reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, it encounters countless tiny particles, such as dust, water droplets, and molecules of gases like nitrogen and oxygen. These particles, particularly the molecules in the air, have the ability to scatter light. However, the scattering process is not uniform for all colors. The shorter wavelengths, such as blue and violet, are scattered more than the longer wavelengths, like red and orange. As sunlight enters the atmosphere, the blue and violet wavelengths undergo a scattering phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. This type of scattering occurs when the size of the scattering particles is much smaller than the wavelength of light. The molecules in the atmosphere scatter the shorter blue and violet wavelengths in all directions, filling the sky with a vibrant blue hue. In contrast, the longer red and orange wavelengths experience less scattering and are able to pass through the atmosphere with minimal deviation. This phenomenon explains why the sky appears blue during the day, as the shorter blue wavelengths dominate the scattered light. Additionally, the Earth’s atmosphere acts as a filter, absorbing certain colors of light. This absorption further enhances the blue appearance of the sky. Hence, the blue color of the sky is a consequence of the scattering of shorter blue and violet wavelengths by molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. This scattering phenomenon is known as Rayleigh scattering.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by
Divya Singh.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by
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