2007-03-24 14:14:35 · 11 answers · asked by Dustin F 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
It's due to the light waves from the sun. When they enter the atmosphere, the rays go through particles, which act like a prism. It seperates out the light the same way a prism does, and it just so happens that the sun enters the atmosphere so that the color we see is blue and more rainbow-like during sunset.
2007-03-24 14:19:24 · answer #1 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Good question. After reading the answers you received I decided I had better clarify a few things for you as there were some inaccurate statements made. First of all visible radiation arriving from the sun is scattered by air molecules, blue through red. Here is the difference. Rayleigh scattering says that scattering is inversely proportion to the fourth power of the wavelength. This means of course that the shorter the wavelength (blue in the case of visible radiation), the greater will be the scattering. This blue scattering is of course what makes the sky blue. But the sky remains blue if and only if there is no scattering from suspended dust in the atmosphere. This latter type of scattering is referred to as Mie (pronounced me) scattering. I hope this helps you
2007-03-24 14:29:07 · answer #2 · answered by 1ofSelby's 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A process called Rayleigh scattering explains why the sky is blue. Our atmosphere is predominantly nitrogen and oxygen molecules, and these molecules scatter the white sunlight impinging on them. "Scattering" is sort of like reflection, but not really - in this case, the molecules can actually separate the components (colors) of the white light they receive.
Blues (cooler colors) tend to get scattered more than reds (warmer colors). This means blue gets redirected at sharper angles than red. This explains why clear skies appear blue, and also why sunsets or sunrises appear reddish. In that case, you mostly see red colors in the direction of the sun when it's near the horizon - the blues have already been scattered away in other directions, leaving just the warmer colors.
2007-03-28 05:18:53 · answer #3 · answered by yoericd 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not 100% sure, but I remember from science class that it has something to do with the pigment of blue in the water which is reflected I believe.
2007-03-24 14:28:56 · answer #4 · answered by thee_guy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the suns light is refracted through earth's atmosphere, the human eye can only perceive the blue part of the spectrum.
It is NOT because of the ocean's reflection.
2007-03-24 14:18:41 · answer #5 · answered by Skyhawk 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it's the sky.
2007-03-24 14:16:54 · answer #6 · answered by sassysusie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has to do with the sun's rays relecting through tthe water vapor in the atmosphere.
2007-03-25 02:25:22 · answer #7 · answered by Jamie460 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because a black sky wouldn't be as cheerful.
2007-03-24 14:18:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As said, it is an issue of photons and the human eye.
2007-03-24 14:27:44 · answer #9 · answered by Professor Sheed 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because God wanted to give us something special and beautiful to enjoy
2007-03-24 14:22:18 · answer #10 · answered by sillygirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋