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…
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…
No doubt about it: blue is an enchanting hue–think sky-blue hydrangeas, faded denim jeans and Provencal architecture–but learning French will help you express yourself more vividly when speaking about all the hues of blue. Keep in mind that French colors as adjectives usually adapt to match the gender and number of the noun they describe;…
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…
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…
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…
The Solar System was formed 4.6 billion years ago by the gravitational collapse of an interstellar molecular cloud. It contains the Sun and its eight planets and their moons, plus a belt of icy dwarf planets and many asteroids. At the outer edge of our solar system, beyond the Kuiper belt, is the Oort cloud,…
The solar system is an assemblage of eight (formerly nine) planets, many planetary satellites or moons, asteroids, and comets. It also contains a vast reaches of highly tenuous gas and dust known as the interplanetary medium. The Sun shoots out a stream of particles called the solar wind. This flows outward through the solar system…
The Sun is only one of billions of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. This means there are many other solar systems out in space, each with their own planets and moons. The eight planets in the Solar System and their hundreds of natural satellites (moons) are surrounded by countless asteroids, comets and other…
