5. At high altitudes is the sky above a deeper blue or a pale blue versus lower altitudes?
2 answers:
Answer:
As the air density is lesser at high elevations, the scattering is small, henceforth the sky appears darker blue.
Explanation:
- The blue wavelengths of sunlight are scattered by the atmosphere (Rayleigh scattering; it is the scattering of light by particles smaller than the wavelength of the radiation). This is why the sky looks blue.
- At lower altitude, we see sunlight through thick atmosphere particles than we see at higher altitude, more of the Sun’s blue light is scattered out along the way. The result is that we observe the sky to become little blue (yellow, orange, red) though numerous local effects (pollution, particulates) can participate to the color of the sky-glow as well.
- It also depends upon the position of sun too. When sun is near to us than blue light is more prominent (day time) but when the sun is at horizon (evening or morning) the red light is dominant as the red scattered light has the maximum depth of penetration in the environment.
Learn more:
- Why are constellations seen in the summer sky different than those seen in the winter sky
- Advantages and disadvantages of sky
Keywords: density, elevation, scattering, atmosphere, particles, Rayleigh, sky
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