🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <616@highett.mel.dbce.csiro.au>, steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au (Stephen Oakes) writes:
>Why does the sky appear blue?

Rayleigh (sp?) scattering.

>I have heard that it is because water
>particles (or perhaps "air particles") have a slightly bluish tinge.

No.  It's scattering.  Nothing at all about a "bluish tinge" as in the
particles having a color.

>More importantly, if it were not so, what would we see when we look
>skywards?

The stars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.

carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick) writes:

>In article <616@highett.mel.dbce.csiro.au>, steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au (Stephen Oakes) writes:
>>Why does the sky appear blue?

>Rayleigh (sp?) scattering.

>>I have heard that it is because water
>>particles (or perhaps "air particles") have a slightly bluish tinge.

>No.  It's scattering.  Nothing at all about a "bluish tinge" as in the
>particles having a color.

I once saw this very striking exhibit in the Tycho Brahe Planetarium.
A ray of white light was send into a glass cylinder, containing some
substance that scatters light much more than does ordinary air. The
cylinder looked blue near the lamp, green in the middle and yellow
at the far end. This is because short wave light scatters most.

This is what gives the sky its color. The blue light from the
sun gets scattered, and comes to you from all directions. When
the light has to go through a lot of air, that is when the sun is
near the horizon, all but the very longest light waves get scattered,
and the sun looks red.

Klaus O K

In article <616@highett.mel.dbce.csiro.au>, steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au (Stephen Oakes) writes:
> Why does the sky appear blue?  I have heard that it is because water
> particles (or perhaps "air particles") have a slightly bluish tinge.
> More importantly, if it were not so, what would we see when we look
> skywards?
> 
> --
> | Stephen Oakes      CSIRO Division of Building, Construction and Engineering |
> |                    Post Office Box 56, Highett, Victoria, Australia   3190  |
> | Internet: steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au  Tel: +61 3 252 6000 Fax: +61 3 252 6249 |
> |_____________________________________________________________________________|
Sunlight entering the atmosphere encounters many small particles, which scatter
the light.  When these particles are small in relation to the wavelength of the
light, a condition known as Rayleigh scattering occurs, and the scattering is
inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wvelength of the light.
This means that short wavelengths are scattered more than long wavelengths.
The scattered short wavelength light gives the sky its blue color.  Long
wavelength light is not scattered as much, and most of it is transmitted
directly through the atmosphere to the observer, making direct sunlight
appear yellow.

In article <616@highett.mel.dbce.csiro.au>, steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au (Stephen Oakes) writes:
|> Why does the sky appear blue?  I have heard that it is because water
|> particles (or perhaps "air particles") have a slightly bluish tinge.
|> More importantly, if it were not so, what would we see when we look
|> skywards?
|> 
|> --
|> | Stephen Oakes      CSIRO Division of Building, Construction and Engineering |
|> |                    Post Office Box 56, Highett, Victoria, Australia   3190  |
|> | Internet: steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au  Tel: +61 3 252 6000 Fax: +61 3 252 6249 |
|> |_____________________________________________________________________________|


Sorry - I can't  help myself.

My favorite explanation came from Judge Harry on NightCourt:

"if the sky was green then you wouldn't be able to tell where the
horizon ended and the sky begins"

		jc

-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
John C. VanHoozer			     |
OptImage Interactive Services Company, L.P.  |  uunet!{optimage,aimla}!jc
11040 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #300	     |  Fax:  (310)445-5720
Los Angeles, Ca. 90025			     |  Phone:(310) 445-5721
___________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer:
   Opinions expressed are mine alone.

Sign in window:  Counter-help wanted 

>>>>> On 22 Jan 93 06:05:02 GMT, steveo@mel.dbce.csiro.au (Stephen Oakes) said:

SO> Why does the sky appear blue?

Because it reflects the ocean!

[This response is stolen from Tom Weller's extremely funny book,
"Science Made Stupid."]
--


Michael D. Hirsch		mhirsch@cs.princeton.edu    
Computer Science Department	Voice: (609) 258-1751       
Princeton NJ, 08544		FAX:   (609) 258-1771