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sim_flex_x · 04-18-2005, 04:44 AM

First you've got light
Assuming you know a little about chemistry you know that light travels in waves and each color of "visible light" (aka white light) travels at a different wavelength with a different frequency.

Red has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency, while violet has the shortest wavelength and highest frequency.

Next you've got the atmosphere
The atmosphere is made up of a bunch of shit, mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen, but also some other random gases with some dust and water vapor and other stuff thrown in. The closer you are to the earth, the thicker the atmosphere.

Light travels in a straight line unless it crashes into something. If it hits a large particle, such as dust or something, all of the colors bounce off together and the light still appears white. However, if it hits a gas molecule (which is most of the atmosphere) it reacts differently. All of the colors can be absorbed by a gas molecule, but the higher frequencies ( green, blue, indigo, and violet ) are absorbed more often than the lower frequencies ( red, orange, and yellow ). This is called Rayleigh scattering (if you cared to know).

Why is the sky blue ?
As light moves through the atmosphere most of the longer wavelengths (red, orange, and yellow) pass straight through and these wavelengths are not affected by the air. However, the shorter wavelengths (green, blue, indigo, and violet) are absorbed by the gas molecules and "blue light" is scattered all around the sky. Since the sky is hella big, "blue light" is all around and above you, and thus the sky appears blue.

Sunsets?
As the sun sets, light must travel through more atmosphere to reach us, so more of the light is reflected and scattered. Less light reaches us so the sun appears less bright. The color of the sun appears to change because more greens, blues, indigos, and violets are scattered and only the longer wavelengths (reds, oranges, and yellows) travel directly to our eyes. The sky also changes colors because of all the larger shit floating around, such as dust or water particles, reflect light in all directions and different amounts of shorter wavelength colors are scattered, you see only the longer wavelengths, and ta-daa, you have a sunset.

(sorry, I got kind of color happy

)

[ April 18, 2005, 02:48 AM: Message edited by: sim_flex_x ]

04-18-2005, 04:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
sim_flex_x Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: St. Pete Posts: 690 Internets: 10	First you've got light Assuming you know a little about chemistry you know that light travels in waves and each color of "visible light" (aka white light) travels at a different wavelength with a different frequency. <font color="red">Red</font> has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency, while <font color="violet">violet</font> has the shortest wavelength and highest frequency. Next you've got the atmosphere The atmosphere is made up of a bunch of shit, mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen, but also some other random gases with some dust and water vapor and other stuff thrown in. The closer you are to the earth, the thicker the atmosphere. Light travels in a straight line unless it crashes into something. If it hits a large particle, such as dust or something, all of the colors bounce off together and the light still appears white. However, if it hits a gas molecule (which is most of the atmosphere) it reacts differently. All of the colors can be absorbed by a gas molecule, but the higher frequencies ( <font color="green">green</font>, <font color="blue">blue</font>, <font color="indigo">indigo</font>, and <font color="violet">violet</font> ) are absorbed more often than the lower frequencies ( <font color="red">red</font>, <font color="orange">orange</font>, and <font color="yellow">yellow</font> ). This is called Rayleigh scattering (if you cared to know). Why is the sky <font color="blue">blue</font> ? As light moves through the atmosphere most of the longer wavelengths (<font color="red">red</font>, <font color="orange">orange</font>, and <font color="yellow">yellow</font>) pass straight through and these wavelengths are not affected by the air. However, the shorter wavelengths (<font color="green">green</font>, <font color="blue">blue</font>, <font color="indigo">indigo</font>, and <font color="violet">violet</font>) are absorbed by the gas molecules and "<font color="blue">blue</font> light" is scattered all around the sky. Since the sky is hella big, "<font color="blue">blue</font> light" is all around and above you, and thus the sky appears <font color="blue">blue</font>. Sunsets? As the sun sets, light must travel through more atmosphere to reach us, so more of the light is reflected and scattered. Less light reaches us so the sun appears less bright. The color of the sun appears to change because more <font color="green">greens</font>, <font color="blue">blues</font>, <font color="indigo">indigos</font>, and <font color="violet">violets</font> are scattered and only the longer wavelengths (<font color="red">reds</font>, <font color="orange">oranges</font>, and <font color="yellow">yellows</font>) travel directly to our eyes. The sky also changes colors because of all the larger shit floating around, such as dust or water particles, reflect light in all directions and different amounts of shorter wavelength colors are scattered, you see only the longer wavelengths, and ta-daa, you have a sunset. (sorry, I got kind of color happy ) [ April 18, 2005, 02:48 AM: Message edited by: sim_flex_x ]