Brief Summary
This video explains why the sky is blue during the day and orange/pink at sunset. It covers the science behind light wavelengths and how the Earth's atmosphere filters light, leading to the different colors we see.
- Light is composed of different wavelengths, each corresponding to a different color.
- The Earth's atmosphere, filled with gases and water vapor, acts as a filter for sunlight.
- The amount of atmosphere sunlight passes through affects the colors we see, with shorter wavelengths (blue) being more visible when the sun is overhead and longer wavelengths (red, orange) dominating at sunset.
The Color of Light
Light is composed of different wavelengths, each representing a different color. All colors are present in light. Longer wavelengths produce red and orange hues, while shorter wavelengths create blue and indigo shades.
Earth's Atmosphere as a Filter
The Earth's atmosphere contains water vapor and gases like nitrogen and argon, which act as filters or prisms for light. When sunlight passes through a minimal amount of atmosphere, we primarily see the shorter, blue wavelengths. As the sun sets, light travels through more of the atmosphere, scattering the blue wavelengths and allowing the longer, red and orange wavelengths to become more visible, resulting in colorful sunsets.
