What is the blue sky?
The blue sky is present. Is it, however, always that way? When the sun comes up in the morning, sets in the evening, and showers all day long, is the sky blue? Is the hue of the sky that we perceive real? Isn’t everything that exists magical? The heavens resemble a radical artist’s workspace. We can witness vistas in the sky that feature an endless variety of color combinations in a single day, month, or year. This sky canvas’s drawings of other natural elements, such the sun and clouds, give the color scheme fresh patterns and motifs. So let’s look at the sky and the science behind its hue in this post.
Is that a blue sky?
We are extremely fortunate to exist on Earth, where the atmosphere is extremely different from other worlds and conducive to life. Nitrogen gas makes up around 78% of the atmosphere on Earth. Oxygen gas makes up about 21%. Furthermore, trace amounts of dust and water vapor are present in our atmosphere, along with gases like carbon dioxide and argon. As a result, radiation is created when the sun’s white light passes through these particles. The sun’s rays, which are composed of white light, collide with various particles to cause them to change direction and move. This process is known as radiation.
We are aware that the sun’s white light is composed of seven different hues. Each of these seven hues has seven wavelengths. When the wavelengths are placed in ascending sequence, we can align these seven colors as violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. The Rayleigh radiation hypothesis states that the fourth power of a light’s wavelength determines its intensity in an inverse manner. It simply indicates that radiation exposure increases with shorter wavelengths of light and decreases with longer wavelengths of light. When viewed in this light, the color with the lowest wavelength is perceived as the color of the sky because the sun’s beams are exposed to radiation when air is present.
If we were to think that way, the colors with the shortest wavelengths in our sky would be violet or indigo. However, we see blue in the sky. The sun’s beam spectrum is depicted in Figure 3. As you can see, the sun emits more blue light than indigo or violet. In addition, the colors of blue, violet, and indigo are more noticeable to human eyes. These explanations explain why humans perceive the sky as blue.
Our moon lacks an atmosphere, but we do. As a result, in addition to the gases in our atmosphere, sunlight is also radiated by dust particles and water vapor. However, the seven colors of sunlight radiate nearly equally because the size of these particles is slightly larger than the wavelength of light rays. We refer to this phenomena as Mie scattering. Because of this, after being exposed to radiation, the white light that first struck the particles is reflected back as white light. This explains why clouds that are created when a lot of water vapor and dust particles condense appear white to humans.
Our moon lacks an atmosphere, but we do. As a result, in addition to the gases in our atmosphere, sunlight is also radiated by dust particles and water vapor. However, the seven colors of sunlight radiate nearly equally because the size of these particles is slightly larger than the wavelength of light rays. We refer to this phenomena as Mie scattering. Because of this, after being exposed to radiation, the white light that first struck the particles is reflected back as white light. This explains why clouds that are created when a lot of water vapor and dust particles condense appear white to humans.
Why do the gorgeous hues change as the sun rises and sets?
In discussing the color shift of the sky, the sun’s color shift is equally relevant. The sun rises in an unbelievably gorgeous combination of red, yellow, and orange hues if the observations are made with a clear horizon. Gradually, as time goes on, the sun rises and turns a brilliant white. The sun descends and its rays become less intense as nightfall draws near, leaving the sky just as magnificent as it was at dawn. Let’s investigate this.
The sun’s rays have a very short path through the atmosphere in the afternoon since it is higher in relation to us. As a result, there is extremely little radiation from the sun. Not even the colors violet and indigo shine. This is why the sun’s white light travels the same path through the atmosphere to reach Earth. This explains why the sun appears white at midday and other times. (Figure 04) The sun is near our horizon at sunrise and dusk.
A solar ray would thus have to pass through a thick layer of atmosphere before it could possibly reach us. The light beams become more irradiated as more air particles are encountered. The Rayleigh radiation theory states that as a result, colors that are mostly violet and indigo are exposed to radiation and can penetrate beyond our line of sight. Because they have a longer wavelength and are less irradiated, the primary colors of light that reach humans are yellow, orange, and red. This is the process by which the morning and evening skies are created, inspiring photographers, poets, and painters alike.