The sky is blue because the sunlight bounces off tiny particles in the air, and blue light travels faster. Imagine the sun sending out a rainbow of colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. When sunlight hits the air, the small bits of air act like little mirrors. Blue light gets scattered more than other colors, so it goes everywhere, making the sky look blue to us.
Examples
- On a clear day, you can see the sky as blue because blue light is scattered more than other colors.
- When you look at the sky in the morning or evening, it looks orange or red because the sunlight has to travel through more of Earth's atmosphere.
- You might notice that on a cloudy day, the sky looks white, clouds scatter all wavelengths of light equally.
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See also
- What Causes a Sunset to Look More Dramatic in Certain Places?
- What Causes a ‘Golden’ Sunrise or Sunset?
- What Causes a Sunset to Look Pink or Orange?
- What Causes Day and Night?
- What Causes a Sunset to Look So Colorful?
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