Sky blue is the color of the sky, caused by sunlight being scattered by particles in Earth’s atmosphere and scattered back toward space more often than any other color. Without an atmosphere, however, there would be no scattering of sunlight and consequently it would appear black in its place. Many languages have distinct words to…
We see the sky as blue because sunlight from the sun passes through our atmosphere, creating a rainbow of hues which we perceive as blue. Air molecules scatter light wavelengths differently, with more blue wavelengths being scattered than others. Therefore, autumn and winter skies appear more blue, due to less moisture present and greater Rayleigh…
Our atmosphere contains molecules like N2 and O2, which scatter more blue light. Seasonal fluctuations alter its hue, with higher altitudes producing less air to scatter it. Discover more about the history and science of blue skies with this special edition of Why is the sky blue. The Sun The Sun provides us with all…
Blue skies form when violet and blue light wavelengths are scattered more effectively by oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere than longer wavelengths such as red and orange ones, which pass directly through. Rayleigh scattering is the name given to this process and it has its roots in 1871 when Lord Rayleigh first identified…
As sunlight passes through the atmosphere it is scattered by air molecules and water droplets into scattered light of shorter wavelengths (blue). This causes it to appear blue during the day. Clouds form when larger particles such as water droplets spread all wavelengths of light equally, creating white clouds. If there is too much dust…
When sunlight reaches Earth’s atmosphere, it bounces off of molecules. The air molecules scatter light — just like billiard balls do when they collide. The shorter the wavelength of the light, the more it gets scattered. This is why the sun’s light looks blue. Sky Blue Is Due to Rayleigh Scattering Sky blue is a…
Mars is one of our closest neighbours in the Solar System, and for centuries, it inspired the imagination of humankind. Features such as impact craters and valleys, as well as dunes and polar ice caps fooled people into thinking that life might exist on the planet. Today, however, Mars is a sterile frozen desert. But…
If you’re like most people, Mars isn’t the kind of place you want to live. From its thin atmosphere to its freezing temperatures, it’s an environment that’s incredibly hostile. But the planet might have once been more like ours — with a thicker atmosphere and oceans of liquid water. In fact, a new study suggests…
Mars is a rocky planet that orbits our Sun, a star. Like Earth, it has clouds, winds, seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes and canyons. It also has two moons: Phobos, an inner moon, and Deimos, an outer one. Both are pockmarked with craters from meteor impacts. The Red Planet Mars is the next planet out…
