If the sky is presumably believed to be blue that why do the clouds appear white?

Answer 1

On Earth, the condensing substance is water vapor, which forms small droplets of water (typically 0.01 mm of ice crystals) that, when surrounded with billions of other droplets or crystals, are visible as clouds. Dense deep clouds exhibit a high reflectance (70 to 95%) throughout the visible range of wavelengths: they thus appear white, at least from the top.

Cloud droplets tend to scatter light very efficiently, so that the intensity of the solar radiation decreases with depth into the cloud, hence the grey or even sometimes dark appearance of the clouds at their base. Thin clouds may appear to have acquired the color of their environment or background, and clouds illuminated by non-white light, such as during sunrise or sunset, may be colored accordingly. In the near-infrared range, however, clouds would appear very dark because the water that constitutes the cloud droplets strongly absorb solar radiation at these wavelengths.

Other colors occur naturally in clouds. Bluish-grey is the result of light scattering within the cloud. In the visible spectrum, blue and green are at the short end of light's visible wavelengths, while red and yellow are at the long end. The short rays are more easily scattered by water droplets, and the long rays are more likely to be absorbed. The bluish color is evidence that such scattering is being produced by rain-sized droplets in the cloud.

Answer 2

The sky is blue because of scattering (see below), but the air itself is transparent (when it isn't too polluted), so it doesn't make objects appear blue. Clouds reflect the entire visible spectrum, so the light that reflects off of them is white.

Aloha

Here is an explanation for why the sky is blue...

It was Einstein who answered this question. It has to do with the way sunlight is scattered by the molecules in the atmosphere. Blue light scatters more than red (Tyndall effect also known as Rayleigh scattering), so more blue light reaches our eye.

There is an excellent description at the website listed below (look at the cartoon and it will be pretty clear).

It is not a reflection from the ocean. And it isn't just water molecules that cause the effect.

Answer 3

Good question.

The sky appears blue because blue light scatters in the atmosphere. As the light passes through more air, the shorter wavelengths get scattered more. That is why a sunset looks red: the blue and green light has scattered away, leaving red light.

Clouds look white simply because there is not enough atmosphere between you and them to change their colour appearance much. Try looking at distant clouds and you will see they are a different colour. Not necessarily blue; they may have a yellow or brown cast due to air pollution. In a very clean sky they would indeed look blue.

Answer 4

Why are clouds white, you say? Clouds are white because the rain and sleet inside of the clouds scatters all sunlight equally creating white light. The same is true for White Cloud toilet tissue. White light bounces off of the fibers of the tissue, which scatters light equally and absorbs next to none.

Answer 5

Nature is the only element is to be got here upon.... however the respond of your question is got here upon!!! The Earth is roofed under countless aerosphere!!! (E.g.- Troposphere, Hydrosphere, Stratosphere, Ozonosphere, etc.) while a image voltaic / white easy is composed of the earth the sunshine is actual blend of seven colours(sky blue. green, yellow, violet, blue, orange, pink). in accordance to technology - a million. the sunshine isn't something yet a electromagnetic wave. 2. the backside frequency a electromagnetic frequency have, it could bypass for the duration of the extra good issues/components. 3. as quickly as we see a coloured textile, it ability the fabric absorbed that / those shade and pondered different colours. E.g.- A Yellow colored blouse absorbs the yellow shade of the sunshine and reflects different colours. in accordance to this while a white easy breaks, the "sky blue shade holds the better frequency and the pink shade holds lowest frequency & orange holds 2d lowest frequency. so as sky blue have maximum frequency it could no longer bypass for the duration of the Aerospheres and absorbed by them. Few circumstances the aerospheres are turns into denser with the aid of clouds, etc. then the sunshine with bigger frequencies are absorbed by the outer aerospheres and decrease frequencies are absorbed by the interior aerospheres. because of the fact the sky turns into denser we will not see for the duration of the innermost aerospheres. because of the fact the innermost aerosphers absorbs pink & orange shade, So we see the sky pink/ orange then.

Answer 6

It seems a little bit like asking, "if apple trees are green,
why are apples red". Clouds are actually masses of
fog. The blue sky comes out of the scattering of blue light
waves across clear atmosphere.

Answer 7

Rayleigh scattering (named after Lord Rayleigh) is the scattering of light, or other electromagnetic radiation, by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light. It occurs when light travels in transparent solids and liquids, but is most prominently seen in gases. Rayleigh scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere is the main reason light from the sky is blue.

Answer 8

i thought the sky was blue because it was just a reflection of light or something whereas clouds are a mass of moisture????
or something!!??