Question 17:Light of all colors (white light) comes to Earth from the sun. Why do we see a cloudless sky as blue and not white? a) The cells in the retina of our eyes are most sensitive to blue light?b) The Earth's magnetic field bends blue light more than yellow or red? c) Air molecules scatter the blue light more than yellow or red? |
Answer: c) Air molecules scatter the blue light more than yellow or red. Light from the sun is electromagnetic radiation with the visible frequencies ranging from low (red) to higher (blue) light. The higher frequency - blue - light is scattered ten times more than red light as it travels through the atmosphere. It is this scattered light that we see and describe as "blue sky." This phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. |