Apollo List 24: Why keeps the sky so blue?

Rcawley8 · Post by **Rcawley8** » Mon Nov 19, 2001 6:29 am

thanx TDS. Now I know... I am serious, I always thought it had to do with atmosphere and sunlight but you described it well. hmmm... blue.

Apollo Sharp · Post by **Apollo Sharp** » Mon Nov 19, 2001 6:31 am

Prolly cause it's sad. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.gif">

TwoDifferentSox · Post by **TwoDifferentSox** » Mon Nov 19, 2001 10:47 am

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.) And when you wait till night, you see the real color of the sky.But personally, I favor the version you have, Mr Sharp.
::sigh::

Crazykid · Post by **Crazykid** » Mon Nov 19, 2001 11:30 am

No big words, TDS!!!!!!!!! Keep it simple: It's prettier that way.

TwoDifferentSox · Post by **TwoDifferentSox** » Mon Nov 19, 2001 11:42 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Crazykid:
No big words, TDS!!!!!!!!! Keep it simple: It's prettier that way.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Apologies, to my defense, I copy and pasted most of the stuff, I've not feeled like typing much... <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.gif">

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Tue Nov 20, 2001 3:20 am

I always thought it was blue because it reflected the blue off of the water...

Niquee · Post by **Niquee** » Tue Nov 20, 2001 6:19 am

Thank you Gloria! I was going to say that but you did already!See I heard some where that the water is blue because it reflected the sky and the sky was blue because it reflected the water.How does that work?Well now I'm more smarter than I was yesturday!------------------
NiKkI tHe SuPeRbUnNy
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/underwoodart/comic.html" TARGET=_blank>The Underwood Adventures</A>
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Apollo Sharp · Post by **Apollo Sharp** » Wed Nov 21, 2001 9:54 am

actually if you've ever seen the ocean in person it's green and not blue. i don't know why they call it the deep blue see. maybe pirates where color blind. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/biggrin.gif">

TwoDifferentSox · Post by **TwoDifferentSox** » Wed Nov 21, 2001 12:07 pm

Real pirates are sailing in the carribbean sea! Yupyup. And the water there has a blue color, (thanks to the lack of algaes). <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif">
Never seen it in one of the Monkey Island games?

Kurayamino · Post by **Kurayamino** » Thu Nov 22, 2001 6:09 am

hate to get all physics student on you, but isent red light refracted more then blue?the way i was told is that the atmosphere refracts the light (cos, the earths atmosphere is more dense then space, so light entering it refracts. like the album cover of "dark side of the moon"), red light is refracted a lot, so at sunrise/sunset the light thats skimming across the edge that you are on is refracted towards you, since the blue end of the specrum refracts less it goes straight overhead but the red end is pointed straight at you, and when the sun is overhead the red light is refracted past you, and the blue light comes straight at you.anyway, thats what my physics teacher (well, ex physics teacher, seeing as i finished exams about a week ago) todl us all, and what all the physics i've been taught in the past two years backs up.the particle close together thing... well, light going through small even gaps is refracted like its going through a lense. (i _realy_ don't wanna get into the physics of it, get into light as a particle and a wave at the same time stuff which still bends my head) the gaps thing also works for reflective surfaces with grooves that arent reflective. which is why CDs have the rainbowy effect. in fact, take one out now. you see red on the outside edges goin into blue.YAY! i jus prooved what i've been rambling about! nothing more exiting for a physicist.yes, we are geeks and we have no life =P

Kurayamino · Post by **Kurayamino** » Thu Nov 22, 2001 8:50 am

okay, i'll try this again without all the pointless rambeling =Pmy point was, that red defracts more then blue.get out a CD and look at the rainbow coming off it, the red is on the outside because red bends more, you have to tilt the CD so it's more perpendicular to your eyes to see the blue/violet end of the spectrum cos it refracts less.the sky isent blue because blue light scatters, it's blue because blue light doesent scatter as much. which is why the sky on the horizon is a lighter blue, because it's on the edge of the aqua bit of the spectrum that fades into green.but the sky only defracts _some_ light, not all, which is why you can still see the sun as the big whitish yellow light that it is.the effect your talking about is what causes rainbows when light refracts through raindrops. sometimes, if the drop is the right size, some light reflects inside the raindrop, flipping the rainbow upside down, which is why you see the second, much dimmer inverse rainbow above the normal bright rainbow sometimes.

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Thu Nov 22, 2001 11:19 am

Oh YEAH? Well...um... MY synthesizer talks to me!

TwoDifferentSox · Post by **TwoDifferentSox** » Thu Nov 22, 2001 11:35 am

What I said contradicts what you said, Mr Kurayamino? I'm not sure if you meaned that... <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif">

TwoDifferentSox · Post by **TwoDifferentSox** » Fri Nov 23, 2001 4:14 am

Actually the red light scatters worst of all. It's longer wavelenghts don't scatter on the molecules of the atmosphere as easily as for example blue ligth does.
At sunset the light has to travel a real long distance in the earths atmosphere, up the 38 times longer then when the sun is over the position you're standing on at noon (you can easily imagine that by picturing the globe in a second ball that's the atmosphere, the way the light goes in a 90 degrees angle is way shorter then when it comes from the side). In this much longer way most of the blue, green and other light is already scattered when it finally reaches you, just the red one is still massive present. So the sundet appears in red.
I've got some interent reference <a href="http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html">here</a> so I guess it's right.Hey, did you know the sky can also be green?

Crazykid · Post by **Crazykid** » Sat Nov 24, 2001 4:49 am

Please you guys....technical is not what I do!!! <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/frown.gif">

Savethehissingcockroaches · Sat Nov 24, 2001 8:33 am

Anyone here run into doors? Or talk (scream) at inanimate objects? Just a question. I wanna know if I am alone in the world! ~Kathryn (aka-savethehissingcockroaches)------------------
WOOOHOO! SAVE THE EMOS!

Kurayamino · Post by **Kurayamino** » Sun Nov 25, 2001 7:57 am

hmm. death to whoever designed the year 11 physics course for giving me the wrong reason as to why the sky is blue =P