Chapter 09 — Big & Curious
Why is the sky blue?
Sunlight is a mix of colors. As it passes through the atmosphere, the shorter blue wavelengths scatter in every direction off air molecules far more than the longer red wavelengths — so blue is what reaches your eyes from every patch of sky.
Follow-up questions
Why are sunsets red?
At sunset light travels through much more atmosphere. The blue is scattered away long before it reaches you, leaving the red and orange to come through.
Why is space black?
No atmosphere to scatter sunlight in, so unless you're looking directly at a star, there's nothing to make a patch of sky glow.
Why is the ocean blue?
Two reasons stacked: water itself faintly absorbs red and reflects blue, and the sky's blue is mirrored on the surface. Murky water shows neither.
Then why are sunsets red?
At sunset, light travels through more atmosphere. The blue scatters away before it reaches you, leaving the longer reds and oranges.
Why is the sea blue?
Partly the sky reflecting on it, but mostly because water itself absorbs red wavelengths and leaves blue behind in any deep enough column.
What colour is the sky on Mars?
Butterscotch in the day, blue around the sun at sunset — dust particles scatter light the opposite way Earth's atmosphere does.
Why is the sunset red?
At sunset, light travels through more atmosphere. The blue is scattered away, leaving reds and oranges to reach you.
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