Undoubtedly, the sight of a stunning blue sky is something to marvel at; but when your 3-5 year old asks why the sky is blue, it’s essential that they receive honest responses. Our planet boasts something the moon doesn’t: air. When light passes through our atmosphere it scatters, with blue wavelengths dispersing more widely than…
On Wednesday night’s full Moon was a super blood moon, caused by an eclipse reaching totality and sunlight bent through Earth’s atmosphere to reach it, turning reddish as a result. Supermoons are rare occurrences which take place when three distinct lunar events come together simultaneously: full Moon, lunar eclipse and blue Moon. It only happens…
Many people assume that the ocean looks blue because it reflects blue light from the sky; this assumption is incorrect, though there are instances in which some blue light does reflect from it. The ocean’s hue is determined by absorbing red, orange and yellow light while reflecting back shorter wavelengths as blue – although in…
White light contains all of the colors of the rainbow, yet appears blue due to atmospheric scattering of its wavelengths. This phenomenon also accounts for why sunsets and sunrises tend to look red as longer wavelengths travel further through our atmosphere before reaching our eyes. The Sun’s Light An astounding blue sky is truly spectacular…
Children often ask why the sky is blue, making it one of the most challenging questions to answer without sounding too technical or scientific. Answer lies within how light travels through our atmosphere. When sunlight enters Earth’s atmosphere, its beams get scattered by gas molecules; longer wavelengths, such as red and orange hues pass more…
Astronomers have long observed that Saturn’s rings appear to be raining down onto its planet in large quantities. This phenomenon occurs due to space rocks colliding with them or solar radiation slightly disturbing ring particles and electrifying them, creating the “rain.” Dust particles inevitably get pulled into Saturn’s upper atmosphere, where they burn up before…
It has vexed many scientists – even some of the greatest minds of 19th-century science – for many decades. He correctly surmised that white light is dispersed into its component colors by gas molecules in the atmosphere and that blue wavelengths tend to be scattered less intensely than other wavelengths. John Tyndall John Tyndall was…
Blue is a color that symbolizes hope and possibilities, inspiring these quotes about its symbolic meaning to encourage you to pursue your goals and never give up. When feeling down or distressed, remember to look up towards the blue skies – they will remind you that things may not always seem as bad. These quotes…
Children tend to be very inquisitive about their surroundings and are always asking why the sky is blue. One common query from children is “why does the sky appear to be so blue”. Light that enters the atmosphere is dispersed into different directions by gas particles called Rayleigh scattering, giving rise to blue skies at…
