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The sky is blue because of Rayleigh scattering -- blue photons scatter off air molecules to a large extent, while the other colors travel directly in straight lines from the sun, making the sky appear blue and the sun appear yellow (white minus blue). In space, or on the airless moon, the sky is black and sun is white.

It is NOT true that oceans look blue due to sky reflection. Water also scatters blue light, so the explanation of its color is largely the same as that for the sky.

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Why the water appear sky blue at beaches and dark blue in ocean?

The blueness of water is due to the way it absorbs and scatters sunlight. In shallow coastal waters, the sunlight is reflected off the sandy bottom, giving the water a sky blue appearance. In deeper ocean waters, sunlight is absorbed by water molecules and particles, causing the water to appear dark blue.


The sky's blue color is caused by?

The sky's blue color is caused by Rayleigh scattering, in which shorter blue wavelengths are scattered more than longer wavelengths by molecules and particles in the Earth's atmosphere. This results in blue light being dispersed in all directions, giving the sky its blue appearance.


How far is the blue sky from the earth?

The sky isn't necessarily there, the blue factor of the sky is created when all of the Earth's water reflects off the sun, and bounces back to Earth. So the sky is kind of like a mirage: you can see it but its not really there. Therefor since it is not there, there is no distance from the Earth to the sky.


Why is mountain water blue?

The water may be reflecting the color of the blue sky (or the reds of sunset, or the gray of clouds), but an intrinsic blue color is caused by the refraction and scattering of visible light by the water. Different water qualities and depth can change the particular hue of blue. Very shallow water, as in streams, appears transparent. Visible light is composed of all colors and the ocean water breaks the light into its different components (think of a prism). The colors on the red end of the spectrum (longer wavelength) are absorbed and the blue reflected. A similar principle (called the Rayleigh Effect) makes the sky appear blue in daylight.


A blizzard under blue sky?

A blue sky during a blizzard is not unusual. The sun can still shine through the clouds and blue sky can be visible during a snowstorm. This can create a striking contrast between the white snowfall and the bright blue sky.