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The blue color of the sky seen from the Earth is due to the scattering of blue light by molecules in the atmosphere. At progressively higher altitudes, the blue color is less distinct, and in space does not occur at all. This phenomena is called Rayleigh Scattering or the Tyndall Effect.
A bit of background: The white light from the sun is a mixture of all colours of the spectrum. Each colour of light ahas a wavelengths. The visible part of the spectrum ranges from red light (wavelength =720 nm), to violet (wavelength =380 nm), with orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo between. The human eye reacts most strongly to strongly to red, green and blue wavelengths. This gives us colour vision.
The explanation: Light passing through a clear fluid with suspended particles is scattered. Some wavelengths like blue are scattered more strongly. The first person to notice this and experiment with it was John Tyndall in 1859, so it is called the Tyndall Effect. He made three important observations:
- From the side, (the way we see most of the sunlight in the sky) the beam can be seen by the blue light it scatters
- The light seen directly at the end (looking towards the source) is red. This is the way we see the sunlight at sunset
- The scattered light is polarized. This is why polarized sun glasses make some parts of the sky seem darker.
Some early researchers (Tyndall and Rayleigh) thought that the blue colour of the sky must be due to small particles of dust and droplets of water vapour in the sky. Later scientists discounted this and proposed that oxygen and nitrogen molecules are the cause of the scattering.
In 1911 Einstein did the math to prove that the molecules could cause the scattering. Technically the molecules scatter light because the electromagnetic field of the light waves induces electric dipole moments in the O2 and N2 molecules.
What else can I help you with?
Are you in the earth or on the earth?
We are on the Earth's surface. To be in the Earth we would have to be underground. Although it doesn't look as if we are in space, the very thin blue sphere around Earth is our atmosphere. To enter space we would go through that atmosphere. :D
How does a comet look like?
a shiny blue thing in space
Why doesn't earth look red from space as mars does?
The distinctive red color of Mars comes from iron oxide, or rust, on its surface. Earth looks blue and green from space due to its abundant water and plant life. The colors of a planet are determined by its composition and surface features.
What do the atmosphere look like?
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds Earth. It appears transparent to the naked eye, but when viewed from space, it appears as a thin layer of blue due to the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere.
What does night on Earth look like from space?
Images from space of Earth have been taken by NASA. When dark, Earth tends to be lit up. Natural and artificial gasses on Earth make it lit up at night. It can often seem like the stars, which we see in the sky at night are on Earth instead.
What does the surface look like of earth?
Earth is a deformed sphere. it has large dents all around it. from space you would see white, green, and mostly blue.
Why does the earth look blue when you see it from space?
The blueness you see on the Earth from space is the oceanic water.
Why does the earth look blue when seen from space?
Because it wants to!
Why does Earth look blue from space?
Earth looks blue from space because of the way sunlight interacts with our atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight in all directions, but blue light is scattered more than other colors because it has a shorter wavelength. This scattering of blue light gives the Earth a blue appearance when viewed from space.
Why does the earth look blue when you see from space?
It's the water, and the green is land.
What does the earth look like from space?
In space, the Earth looks like a blue marble. NASA has many photographs of the Earth from space. The earth is spherical like an orange but it is not orange.http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Collections/EarthFromSpace/land.htmhttp://www.wired.com/2014/12/digital-globe-best-earth-from-space-201
Why does planet earth look blue from outer space?
The Earth appears blue from outer space because of the reflection and scattering of sunlight off the oceans and atmosphere. The oceans absorb longer wavelengths of light while reflecting shorter blue wavelengths, and the atmosphere scatters blue light from the sun, resulting in the overall blue appearance.
What color is Earth when you look at it from space?
The 'sky' in space is an inky blackness. The sky as we know it is not seen from space as it is just the way light refracts in our atmosphere. Looking down at the earth from space, you cannot see the blue sky, only clouds, land and water. == ==
Why does earth look like a blue marble?
Earth appears blue from space because of its oceans, which cover about 71% of its surface. This vast amount of water reflects and scatters sunlight, giving the planet its characteristic blue appearance. Additionally, the Earth's atmosphere also scatters sunlight, which further contributes to the blue hue when viewed from space.
What does the earth look like?
It is mostly water (blue) and the land is usually brown and/or green, except for places with mostly snow, which are white. Hope I helped!
Are you in the earth or on the earth?
We are on the Earth's surface. To be in the Earth we would have to be underground. Although it doesn't look as if we are in space, the very thin blue sphere around Earth is our atmosphere. To enter space we would go through that atmosphere. :D
Why does water look blue from space?
The water appears blue because it is reflecting the sunlit atmosphere from the relative perspective of the surface of the Earth. (There are other reasons too.)
