Blue sky question for all of you who think that the sky reflect the ocean...?

Question

If that were the case, let's say that we're standing in the middle of the Sahara desert. Shouldn't the sky be sand coloured above us. Wouldn't this 'reflective' sky reflect the colour of the surroundings?
By the way those 'prism' type answers are wrong too.
The simple answer is that air is slightly blue. Water is slightly blue too. The surface of water is reflective... look at a puddle.
The sky is NOT reflective.... look up... do you see your town reflected..NO!

Answer 1

This is actually not quite so. If the sky were blue, then all the stars would look blue at night too. But they don't. Likewise if you look straight at the sun (not advised) - you see pretty much white for the simple reason that most of the light gets straight through and is unaffected colour-wise by passing through the sky.

If you look in a different direction during the day, however, you will see the light that was heading for a different spot but which was then deflected in your direction. It is easier to deflect short (blue) wavelengths than long (red) ones, so most of the time the sky looks blue. But you'll note that when the sun is low on the horizon (during sunrise and sunset) it will often look reddish... now that the sunlight is passing through more of the air, almost everything BUT the red is deflected. You see where the light is deflected to after the sun goes down - for a while, you can't see the sun but there's still light to see by... all that deflected light!

So you're right. The sky is no reflection of the ground. But (unlike water) it is not blue either.

Answer 2

The blue sky is due to diffracted and scattered sunlight.

There are cases where a body of water reflects in the sky, well, not so much sky as on low cloud.

In New Zealand south island we have several glacial lakes that are a fantastic aqua blue color from the glacial till that is washed down from the mountains. Once when I was approaching the lakes on a low cloud day, I could see this color reflected on the underside of the clouds.

Answer 3

The blue color of the sky is caused by the scattering of sunlight off the molecules of the atmosphere. This scattering, called Rayleigh scattering, is more effective at short wavelengths (the blue end of the visible spectrum). Therefore the light scattered down to the earth at a large angle with respect to the direction of the sun's light is predominantly in the blue end of the spectrum.

Answer 4

Ah - permit me mirror. maximum persons see what they anticipate to make certain and it is not often actual. yet seeing at incredibly relies upon on mild, for us, and that constantly comes from the sky. yet blue? The theoretical primaries are all perplexing to locate. The blue of the sky varies, based on the perspective of the solar, pollutants or airborne dirt and mud, the temperature of the air. Likewise the blue of the sea varies with its intensity, temperature, regardless of if it is calm or disturbed, and what it reflects. it is a sort of deep Indigo (Ultramarine with a splash black and touch of ochre will simulate it), or a chilly blue like Cobalt, or heat Ultramarine -- or deep blue-eco-friendly. And wearing reflections from sky, clouds, and regardless of mild there is, day or evening. the two, the sky reflects what's below it (concern to occurrence of mirrored image) - so it and the cloud bottoms may well be stimulated by using the sea, or forests. In daylight hours, notably offshore, the sea surely will pay homage to the sky. In overcast evening it is perplexing to tell the two aside, till there are streaks of incandescence in the waves, or breaking wave-tops. it is all a glory - in practice or mirrored image. surely the sea and deep forests are the grandest cathedrals of all. consistent with hazard it is people who could desire to mirror extra.

Answer 5

Going with the theory that the air is slightly blue, as you say, what makes it look blue?



I bet it is the prism effect !