Why is the sky blue???

Question

I have always wondered that that's all. :)

Answer 1

There is a physical phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering that causes light to scatter when it passes through particles that have a diameter one-tenth that of the wavelength (color) of the light. Sunlight is made up of all different colors of light, but because of the elements in the atmosphere the color blue is scattered much more efficiently than the other colors.

So when you look at the sky on a clear day, you can see the sun as a bright disk. The blueness you see everywhere else is all of the atoms in the atmosphere scattering blue light toward you. (Because red light, yellow light, green light and the other colors aren't scattered nearly as well, you see the sky as blue:)

Answer 2

The key words are Rayleigh Scattering which is what Melc (above) mentioned.

This is the term that is used to describe the way that the different colours which make up light from the sun are scattered by the particles in the atmosphere. It's this scattering of light which makes the sky appear to be blue, it's the same scattering which gives us the reds, yellows, oranges etc when the sun sets.

It's better explained on this webpage with the use of photos and diagrams - http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/blusky.html

Answer 3

It's only blue to human eyes and to some other animals. It's blue because of the wave length of light that our eyes see in. Some birds and insects see colors completely different that the way we see them. So it could be argued that the sky is not really blue.

Answer 4

Blue Light
The visible blue light has a wavelength of about 475 nm. Because the blue wavelengths are shorter in the visible spectrum, they are scattered more efficiently by the molecules in the atmosphere. This causes the sky to appear blue.

Answer 5

I think it is a reflection of all the water on the earth since the earth is made up mostly of water, light reflects off of it and bounces back up - viola! blue sky! Have you ever see Nasa pics of the earth? She's called the "Blue Beauty"

Answer 6

reflection of ocean on sky

Answer 7

It reflects the colour of the seas, since the water coverage of the planet is higher than the land's.


Edit!!!
I see you guys have taken romanticism out of your lifes and replaced it with science.That is no bad, but how do you explain that the skies are brighter than usual, when on cloudless days, the particles you are talking about are blown away by high winds?

Answer 8

Because blue is the color of the light spectrum that shows when light goes through the air..

Answer 9

now adays it will be better to search the answer 1st rather than ask...this has been asked "n" times...

Answer 10

All the answers are on this site.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html