Why is the sky blue?

Question

elev1023 & Joe M: Thank you. I was expecting people to answer in THEIR OWN WORDS.

ANYONE can bloody copy & paste a response.

Answer 1

So you know where to stop mowing the grass.

Answer 2

Rayleigh scattering is the correct answer here. Although that was in the previous responses, I think it's important to not that the blue light is NOT being absorbed. The light is being scattered about and some of it makes it's way down to us from all angles (some get scattered out back to space). The sun shines light of all wavelengths (hence a rainbow when you make the sunlight pass through a prism, which separates light by wavelength). During a sunset, the light must pass through much more atmosphere before it gets to us, so more of it ends up getting scattered away. All that's left are the longer, redder wavelengths, which are much scattered much less by the atmosphere (but still a bit or the sky wouldn't appear red at sunset)

Answer 3

The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air.

However, much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue.

Answer 4

The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air.

However, much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue.

Answer 5

The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air.

However, much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue.

Answer 6

there are 2 reasons for the ... the raleigh scattering AND the ozone layer .... ozone (O3) is the outer layer of the atmosphere ... since the earth is round, no matter where you look during the daytime hours you will see blue because ozone is constantly absorbing and reemiting the blue spectrum of light .... this accounts for the blue skies in the usual daytime hours .... not including sunrises / sunsets

sunsets are a diffrent story because you see the reds and oranges ... this is because light is refracted through the water molecules in the air at different angles (like a prism) ... reds and oranges are refracted less than blues and purples ... since the blues / purples are refracted more during the sunet/rise, they are less able to be absorbed / reemited by the ozone layer and the reds and oranges become more visible by the eye

Answer 7

Much of shorter wavelength light is absorbed by gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks blue.

Answer 8

The sky is blue because of the way sunlight is scattered through the earths atmosphere. Like passing through a prism, light is refracted/reflected by different materials. The amount of scatter is based on the different wavelengths of light.

We see blue because thats the wavelength scattered most by the atmosphere.

Answer 9

Well - it has been around from the day this planet began and it has got so bored no wonder it turned Blue !

Answer 10

The reflection of the sea.