The result is that a dusty or polluted sky is usually more grayish white than blue. Similarly, cloud droplets typically 10 millionths to millionths of a meter are much larger than visible light waves, so they scatter light without much color variation.
This is why light scattered by clouds takes on the same color as the incoming light. For example, clouds will appear white or gray at midday and orange or red at sunrise or sunset. This is why sunsets or sunrises are so much prettier when some clouds are available to show us the colors.
Allow cookies. Optics 4 Kids What is Optics? Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. Scattering also explains the colors of the sunrise and sunset, Ackerman says. ScienceDaily, 15 November University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Retrieved November 10, from www. Because of this, the sky takes on dull hues of red and yellow when the air is full of dust and pollutants. This is why sunrises and sunsets in rural areas, over the ocean, and deserts are much more vibrant and colorful than over cities and urban areas. Tips: Take pictures of sunrises and sunsets.
Rayleigh scattering is also responsible for giving the Moon a reddish or orange hue during lunar eclipses. The condition of the Earth's atmosphere, including the amount of pollution and dust from storms and volcanic eruptions, can affect the shade of red the Moon takes on during the eclipse.
Topics: Astronomy , Sun , Atmospheric Phenomena. Yeah, you can forecast them to a certain degree. I guess it's a question of who cares—maybe filmmakers or photographers would find that information useful, but most people just want to know if it's going to rain or not.
There's often a slanting band of clouds on the back side of the departing weather system, and that can act as a sort of projection screen for the low-sun colors, better than a horizontal band would.
The slant means it captures more of the orange and red light, and if the cloud is thin enough, it will reflect those colors down to you. Also, storms wash a lot of the big particles out of the air. Yes, true sunset occurs a minute or so before you see the sun disappear.
What you see is a kind of mirage; the light is getting bent around the horizon by the effect of refraction. Our eyes are sensitive to a very tiny part of the spectrum of the sun's wavelengths, and that's responsible for the way we see our environment. Other creatures seem able to see the ultraviolet area of the spectrum.
We can only see a tiny part of what's going on. So a butterfly or a reindeer , which can perceive ultraviolet light, might be seeing a different, perhaps more colorful sunset than we do? The more you look at things, the more you realize how unique your own experience is as a human on this planet, at this particular place and time.
All rights reserved. In simple terms, what makes a good sunset happen? Do dust and air pollution make sunsets more dramatic? Do the seasons affect sunsets? So conversely, could local weather forecasters predict a pretty sunset?
Why are sunsets sometimes more dramatic after a major storm? Is it true that by the time we see a sunset, the sun is actually already gone? Sounds like there's a lot of science to sunsets, but it's also a very subjective experience. This interview has been edited and condensed.
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