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Rayleigh Scattering Phenomenon
This was first published in 1871 by an English physicist known as Lord Rayleigh.
This phenomenon explains the reason why the sky appears blue in our eyes.
The sun has different colours.
The sun comprises different colours; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, the ones usually seen in a rainbow.
Blue and violet colors have a shorter wavelength as compared to red, orange and yellow.
When the sunlight reaches the earth's atmosphere, it comes across different things like water vapour, dust, gas, and tiny particles, which scatter the light in different directions.
Since blue and violet light have shorter wavelengths, they scatter more than the other colours.
Our eyes tend to see the blue colour and not violet light.
Why Is the Sky Red at Sunrise and Sunset?
I know you have come across a scenario when the sun is setting and the sky is bleeding red. Just wonders!
The Rayleigh Scattering Phenomenon also explains why we tend to see a change of colour in the sky both in the morning and evening.
In this scenario, it's vice versa.
At these times, the colours with longer wavelengths play their role. That is, Red, Orange and Yellow.
This is because, during the sunrise or sunset, the sun is always lower in the sky as compared to other times.
The sunlight has to travel through a lot of air and other Earth's particles, diminishing all the shorter wavelength colours (blue and violet), hence displaying the longer wavelength colours, red and orange.
Conclusion
We see a blue sky because the blue light is scattered more than other colours.
We see red, orange and yellow colours during sunrise and sunset because all the blue light has been scattered away.
Do you think now you can be able to explain to someone about this Earth's mystery and understand? Comment.
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