why we see the sky is blue?

Answer 1

The sunlit sky appears blue because air scatters short-wavelength light more than longer wavelengths. Since blue light is at the short wavelength end of the visible spectrum, it is more strongly scattered in the atmosphere than long wavelength red light. The result is that the human eye perceives blue when looking toward parts of the sky other than the sun. Near sunrise and sunset, most of the light we see comes in nearly tangent to the Earth's surface, so that the light's path through the atmosphere is so long that much of the blue and even yellow light is scattered out, leaving the sun rays and the clouds it illuminates red.

Scattering and absorption are major causes of the attenuation of radiation by the atmosphere. Scattering varies as a function of the ratio of the particle diameter to the wavelength of the radiation. When this ratio is less than about one-tenth, Rayleigh scattering occurs in which the scattering coefficient varies inversely as the fourth power of the wavelength. At larger values of the ratio of particle diameter to wavelength, the scattering varies in a complex fashion described, for spherical particles, by the Mie theory; at a ratio of the order of 10, the laws of geometric optics begin to apply.

Some of the false beliefs of why the sky is blue are that the sky reflects off the ocean and that the light scatters off dust in the air. These two theories cannot be true, as the sky over the middle of a desert or jungle has the same hue as the sky over the middle of an ocean

Answer 2

the whole water reflects the blah blah blah explanation isnt very accurate- and doesnt make much since if you think about it. Because if that were true then we should only see the sky is blue over the ocean and big lakes. What about over giant landmasses. Why would the sky be blue then. Back in biblical days the sky was a pinkish red color now why i honestly have no clue. But over the years it turned colors becuase of polution do to volcanic eruptions (causes more pollution than people ever could) and other natural accurances then it became worse when people started adding on to the pollution.

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 whole water reflects the blah blah blah explanation isnt very accurate- and doesnt make much since if you think about it. Because if that were true then we should only see the sky is blue over the ocean and big lakes. What about over giant landmasses. Why would the sky be blue then. Back in biblical days the sky was a pinkish red color now why i honestly have no clue. But over the years it turned colors becuase of polution do to volcanic eruptions (causes more pollution than people ever could) and other natural accurances then it became worse when people started adding on to the pollution.

Answer 6

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 7

Where in the world someone came up with the idea that the sky was not blue in biblical times boggles my mind. That is basically saying that the atmosphere was composed of different gases (guess they didn't breath oxygen??).

I can't remember the technical terms because I learned this in physics ten years agol, but Rayleigh scattering theory sounds right. It has to do with the gases in the air and how light filters only a particular wavelength which appears to us as the color blue.

Answer 8

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 9

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 10

My answer:

THE ROSE IS RED
THE SKY IS BLUE
THE HONEY IS SWEET

The above was a song taught during my early child-hood school education. I am now 59 years old, and I believe the
same till date. I am not sure about the colour of the sky whether it is Blue or any thing else. Also I could not lay hand in any of the authentic record or references to establish about this fact that the sky is Blue when we see in different colours in some occassions. Therefore, I can see and say the colour of sky as blue based on my belief.

If anyone knows the reasons with records, I shall be highly obliged to share that with him/her through medium of Yahoo Q&A.