What Causes the Color of the Sky Exactly?

The sky looks blue because the air scatters the light from the sun. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, so we see it all around us. When the sun is low in the sky, like at sunrise or sunset, the blue light has to travel farther through the atmosphere, and that’s why the sky turns orange or red.

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Examples

During a sunset, the sky looks orange because blue light has to travel through more air.
If you're on a cloudy day, the sky might look gray because clouds reflect all colors of light equally.
On a clear day, the sky is mostly blue because blue light scatters in every direction.

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Categories: Science · optics,atmosphere,light