why is the sky blue?

Question

a good physics website would be nice... ; )

Answer 1

because if it was Green you asked "Why is the sky Green?"

Answer 2

A clear cloudless day-time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they scatter red light. When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because the blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight.

Answer 3

because ozone molecules retain all wavelengths from sunlight except the ones corresponding to color blue


OKAY here's a better explanation, from sciam.com

The blue component of the spectrum of visible light has shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies than the red component. Thus, as sunlight of all colors passes through air, the blue part causes charged particles to oscillate faster than does the red part. The faster the oscillation, the more scattered light is produced, so blue is scattered more strongly than red. For particles such as air molecules that are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light the difference is dramatic. The acceleration of the charged particles is proportional to the square of the frequency, and the intensity of scattered light is proportional to the square of this acceleration. Scattered light intensity is therefore proportional to the fourth power of frequency. The result is that blue light is scattered into other directions almost 10 times as efficiently as red light.

Answer 4

When photons from the sun collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms the shortest wavelengths are scattered. Violet and blue are the shortest wavelengths. Our eyes are more sensitive to blue light than they are violet light, so the sky is blue.

Answer 5

Blue light is the shortest wave length, molocules of air reflect the sunlight and scatter it as "BLUE", thats why at sunset (or sunrise) the sun light goes through more atmosphere (sun angle) letting the longer light waves of yellow, and red show, thats why it's so pretty !

Answer 6

according to cv raman,when white light passes thru the sky,as we all know it splits up to VIBGYOR.so,the sky absorbs all the colours except blue.so naturally,we see the colour that reflects.thus,the sky is blue.

Answer 7

because color blue is easy to absorb. I forgot the exact term

Answer 8

the suns reflective angle + the ozone. have you ever noticed at sunset or sunrise it appears pinkish.

Answer 9

its blue because of pollution

Answer 10

it is an illusion because if you were in the sky it may not be blu