Looking at the sky on a fine day, from childhood we get used to its blue color during the day and scarlet at sunset and sunrise. The blue color of the sky is so familiar to our eyes that often there are no questions why the color of the sky is blue, and not, for example, green or yellow. Indeed, why is the sky blue if the main source of light for the Earth is the Sun, which shines with yellow light? (Just don't rush to check what color the Sun is without eye protection.)
What color is the Sun really?
It turns out that the light coming from the Sun has different colors. In fact, the Sun shines with blue, green, yellow, and red light. It was discovered back in the 17th century by Newton. We see the Sun as yellow because it emits the most yellow, and the rest of the colors we can see only with the help of special equipment. Yellow light is so intense that a person cannot distinguish other colors against its background. It's like trying to spot a small green or blue flashlight against a huge yellow spotlight.
How does light reach the earth's surface?
Imagine rays of all colors of the rainbow coming from the Sun to the Earth. In the vacuum of space, between the Sun and the Earth, the sun's rays travel in the same direction and at the same speed. But everything changes when the light of the sun reaches the earth's atmosphere. Sun rays collide with air molecules (consisting mainly of oxygen and nitrogen) and change their direction - they scatter. Let's observe the process of light scattering. Here is a small "piece" of sunlight - a photon, flies into the Earth's atmosphere; and immediately on its way there is some air molecule. The photon "touches" this molecule, and slightly deviates from the original path. Having flown a little more, the photon will again collide with the air molecule and again change direction. By the time such a bully-traveler reaches our eye, it will have time to collide with billions of molecules and change direction about the same number of times. Light passing through the Earth's atmosphere changes its direction so much that photons begin to move in all directions, even towards the Sun. That is why during the day the sky is bright even from the side opposite to the Sun.
Why the sky is blue?
It turns out that the color of light greatly affects the ability of individual "pieces of light" to change their direction after colliding with air molecules. The bluer the light, the more readily it changes the direction of its movement when scattered in the atmosphere. This means that blue light scatters the best, and turquoise is slightly worse. Green and yellow light change their direction worse than turquoise. Well, least of all, when passing through the atmosphere, red light changes its direction. It scatters about 10 times worse than blue. Therefore, it turns out that the blue light coming from the Sun is scattered throughout the sky, and it seems to us that the sky becomes blue. If nature were arranged in a different way, and, for example, green light would be best scattered, then our sky would be green.
Why does the sky turn red at sunset and sunrise?
When the Sun sets or rises, the sunlight has to travel through a thicker layer of air before reaching our eyes. This means that photons that hit Earth at sunset or sunrise will experience many more collisions with air molecules than those that hit Earth during the day. The increased number of collisions leads to the fact that even the red light begins to scatter, so the sky near the sun at sunset or sunrise becomes scarlet.
Konstantin Kudinov
Dear friends! If you liked this story and want to keep abreast of new publications about astronautics and astronomy for children, then subscribe to the news of our communities
The ancient Greeks believed: "The sky is blue because it is created from the purest rock crystal!". At the same time, the crystal is multi-layered - therefore it has a blue color. If you put a piece of ordinary glass in front of you, it will be transparent. However, if you pile up a few pieces and try to look through them, it turns out that you will see not what is actually behind the whole structure, but some kind of incomprehensible blueness.
So in our case, the sky is a series of crystal spheres, which are located one inside the other with jewelry precision. In the middle of this whole set of spheres, the Earth is located with its fortresses, taverns, roads, mountain peaks, temples, cities and seas. On one sphere is a brightly blazing Sun. On the other side is the moon. The third sphere is lulled by an infinite number of stars, which now and then break away from the crystal surface and fall down. All other spheres are placed on one of a large number of planets.
All these spheres rotate, and each has its own direction and speed. They rotate without rattle and creak, and in the very center of this amazing system our unique and important planet is located in the "world" void. It must have been a magnificent sight!
In this theory, why the sky is blue, the ancient Greeks sincerely believed. However, what exactly made them think so? After all, the sky cannot be touched, it can only be contemplated. Contemplate and reflect, build the most incredible guesses. In our time, such guesses are called " scientific theory”, one the ancient Greeks did not bother and called them that - guesswork.
Why is the sky blue (according to scientists)?
Modern scientists have been able to find the correct answer and prove why the sky is blue. Physics has been hiding this secret for quite a long time, more precisely the atmosphere our planet. As everyone knows, air itself is colorless gas, however, when the sun's rays penetrate it, the light begins to break up into 7 primary colors:
Since blue and blue have a clear advantage in this process, that is why we see the sky as blue-blue.
The most successful example of this process is the comparison of day and night. At night, the sun's rays are absent, since the Sun will currently illuminate the opposite side of the planet. Due to the absence of light, we can see the true color of the atmosphere, to be precise, the absence of any color, transparency. Through the transparent air we have the opportunity to see other galaxies, stars, boards, black space. The moment the Sun begins to illuminate our side of the planet again, the sky becomes azure. Thus, the sky is a kind of blue curtain behind which space is hidden from us during daylight hours. That is why the sky is blue during the day and transparent at night, which makes it appear black to us.
Why is the sky blue only during clear weather. The fact is that in cloudy weather the entire spectrum of light rays is simply unable to break through to the surface of the Earth, and those few rays that could reach us are refracted by water, which is in suspension for a very long time. high altitude. It is this water that distorts light waves.
Now you are convinced that the whole reason for the change in the colors of the sky is in the unshakable laws of physics.
“Mom, why is the sky blue and not red or yellow?” Many parents are confused by this phrase. It turns out that we, adults who introduce our baby to the world around us, do not ourselves know the answer to such a “difficult question”? and simply, not knowing what to answer to our baby, we translate the topic, or, in order to compose an explanation accessible to the child, we have to rack our brains. Therefore, let's figure it out with you why the sky is blue and how to explain it to a small child in a simple way.
Light, consisting of seven spectral colors, passes through the atmosphere. Solar photons collide with gas molecules in the air, causing them to scatter. And the most interesting thing is that after that the number of particles emitting a short wave of blue color becomes eight times larger than the others. It turns out that before our eyes, sunlight on the way to Earth turns from white to blue.
How to explain all this to a child? It is still too early to talk about solar photons colliding with gas molecules. We offer several versions of the answer to this difficult question.
- Sunlight is made up of 7 colors combined together: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. (Look at the pictures with the spectrum, remember the rainbow.) Each ray passes through a thick layer of air high above us, as if through a sieve. All colors at this moment are splashed and it is blue that becomes the most visible, because it is the most persistent.
- The air looks transparent, but it actually has a bluish tint. The sun is very far away. When we look up at the sky, we see a very thick layer of air, so thick that we see that it is blue. You can take transparent cellophane, fold it many times and see how it has changed color and transparency. And then draw an analogy.
- The air around us consists of tiny and constantly moving particles (gases, dust and specks, water vapor). So small that they can only be seen with the help of special devices - microscopes. And sunlight combines 7 colors. A beam passing through the air collides with tiny particles and its constituent shades are separated. And since blue-blue prevails in the color scheme, we see it. Here it is necessary to show the child the spectrum.
- And you can do it quite simply - the sun paints the air blue.
If the child is very small and it is too early to talk about the spectra? , then you can just come up with something? (options from the forums)
kitty Well, for example, like this: there is such a magician in the world who has a brush with beautiful blue paints, he wakes up, and so that the children are light and joyful, he takes out blue paint and paints the sky with it, the paint is also magical - it does not spill and immediately dries ? , but when he is upset, the sky is not blue, but dark blue and the paint does not dry, but it is raining, and the wizard has a fairy sister, and when she sees that the children are tired, she paints the sky in a dark color and throws asterisks, so that it is not very dark, and then the children have colorful dreams?
Vladimir Gor There are many seas and oceans on earth (show on the map) and in sunny weather the water is reflected in the sky and the sky becomes as blue as the water in the oceans and seas, just like it happens in the mirror (show something blue in the mirror) . This will be enough for the child to satisfy his curiosity.
Chena A fairy flew, she had paints in her basket, a bottle of blue paint fell and the paint spilled, so the sky is blue. In general, it all depends on the age of the baby ...
It is very important to involve your child in the discussion. Sometimes invite your why child to first think about the answer to the question. Try to hint, push him to conclusions. And then discuss and summarize the information. The baby needs your attention, recognition of his interests and respect for the first attempts to know the world. In this way, you will help develop your child's open and inquisitive personality.
We also read: how to explain to a child where babies come from
The sun that warms and illuminates our Earth, thanks to which the world is painted different colors emits pure white light. But when we look at the sky, we see blue and blue colors. Why not white, since the color of the sun's rays was originally like this, but the air is transparent?
Why do we see blue skies?
White is made up of the seven colors of the rainbow. That is, white is a mixture of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple. The Earth's atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases. The sun's rays, reaching the Earth, meet with gas molecules. Here the rays are reflected and decomposed into seven colors of the spectrum. The rays of the red spectrum (this includes: red, orange, yellow) are longer, they, for the most part, pass directly to the earth, without lingering in the atmosphere. The rays of the blue spectrum (green, cyan, indigo, violet) are short-wavelength. They bounce off the air molecules in different directions (scatter) and fill the upper layers of the atmosphere. Therefore, the entire sky is permeated with blue light, spreading in different directions.
It is worth clarifying why we do not see the sky green, but we see it blue. This happens because the colors of the blue spectrum mix with each other and the result is a blue sky. In addition, the human eye perceives blue color better than, for example, violet. Then another interesting point is why the sky is blue and the sunset is red. The fact is that during the day the sun's rays are directed perpendicular to the surface of the Earth, and during sunset and sunrise - at an angle. With this position of the rays relative to the Earth, they have to move in the atmosphere over long distances, so the short spectrum waves go to the sides and become invisible, and the long spectrum waves are partially scattered across the sky. Therefore, we see the sunset and sunrise in red-orange tones.
How to explain to a child why the sky is blue?
Now that we have figured out the color of the sky ourselves, let's think about how to make an explanation of the question why the sky is blue accessible to children. For example, you can do this: the sun's rays, reaching the Earth's atmosphere, meet with air molecules. Here the solar beam is decomposed into colored light waves. As a result, red, orange, yellow light continues to move towards the Earth, and the colors of the blue spectrum are retained in the upper layers of the atmosphere and distributed over the sky, coloring it blue.
Knowing your children and their level of knowledge about our planet, you will be able to understand for yourself how easier it is to explain to your child why the sky is blue.
Astronomy for kids> FAQ>why is the sky blue
Let's talk about Why the sky is blue in a language accessible to children. This information will be useful to children and their parents.
When children look at the sky, they see an endless blue. Many even spend all day on the grass watching the clouds. It's time explain to children Why is the sky still blue?
To give complete explanation for children, parents should consider the reasons that may lead to such a phenomenon. But it can be difficult. At school you have heard about the existence of an atmosphere. It is a mixture of molecules (various gases) surrounding the planet. Depending on the location of your country and city, there may be more water in the atmosphere (near the ocean) or dust (if there is a volcano or desert nearby).
Further for the little ones necessary explain concept of light waves. Light is energy transmitted in waves. Each type defines its own wave, oscillating in magnetic and energy fields. Light is divided into very many types, which can have a longer (or shorter) length. Children must remember that light is included in a large group - " electromagnetic fields". The visible (which we observe with our own eyes) is part of it. It consists of a whole stream of colors, namely the entire spectrum of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Light travels in a straight line, which is called the "speed of light." He travels until he encounters an obstacle in the form of a speck of dust or a drop of water. Then everything depends on the size of the wavelength and the object. Dust and water are longer than the wavelength, so the light bounces off - "reflection". It spreads in different directions, but remains white because it continues to contain the entire rainbow spectrum. But gas molecules are smaller. Therefore, it is necessary explain to children that this collision leads to different results.
In this case, the light is not reflected but absorbed by the molecule. Then it fills up and begins to radiate part of the color. Although now it still contains the entire spectrum, it highlights a specific one. High frequency (blue) is absorbed faster than low frequency (red). This scientific process was discovered and described in the 1870s by the English physicist Lord John Rayleigh. That is why the phenomenon was called "Rayleigh scattering".
This is the reason why we admire the blue sky. When light travels through the air, the red or yellow part is not involved. But blue is absorbed and reflected. This is especially noticeable when looking at the horizon from a distance. The blue color then appears lighter.
There are millions of questions that, being children, we do not receive an answer, and when we grow up, we are simply embarrassed to ask. One of these
And everything would be fine, and without this knowledge you can live, but when a child begins to ask such tricky questions to his parents, they often become ashamed, and they begin to change the subject. Then the child grows up not knowing the answer, he has his own children and everything repeats again. Let's break this "vicious circle" and understand the reasons why the sky is blue. Consider the issue from all possible points of view.
The phenomenon of blue sky in terms of physics
Let's get straight to the point, the sky is blue because the earth's atmosphere scatters the light of the sun. All research conducted over the past 200-300 years comes down to this. Consider a few axioms that affect the blue sky phenomenon:
- The white light of the sun is a combination of different color streams. White color "separately" does not exist. As everyone knows, there are only 7 colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple), the rest of the colors are obtained only when they are combined. White color is obtained by combining all seven colors. It is worth considering that it is precisely the colors that we can distinguish with the eye that are meant.
- The atmosphere is not empty, it consists of many gases: nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), carbon dioxide, water in its various states (steam, ice crystals). There is also a lot of dust around us, elements of various metals. All of them distort the white light of the sun.
- The air that surrounds us and that we breathe is actually opaque. In any case, in large quantities. We do not live in a vacuum, after all.
From these three facts we will proceed further.
Story
Back in the 19th century, a scientist named John Tyndall conducted research that proved that we see the sky blue because of particles in the atmosphere. In his laboratory, he artificially created a fog with dust particles and directed a bright white beam at it - the color of the fog changed to bluish. 30 years later, in 1899, the physicist Rayleigh refuted the research of his predecessor and published evidence that the sky is blue because of air molecules and no dust in it. This phenomenon is called “diffuse sky radiation”; you can read more about this in Wikipedia.
Why is the sky blue?
What is light? Light is a stream of photons, some we can see with our eyes and some we can't. So, for example, we see the standard spectrum of colors, but the ultraviolet, which also emits the sun, does not. What color we see in the end depends on the "wavelength" of this stream. This wavelength determines what color you get.
So. We have determined that the sun sends us quanta with a wavelength that corresponds to white, but how does it turn into blue as it passes through the atmosphere? Let's take the example of a rainbow. Rainbow - is a direct example of the refraction of light and its division into a spectrum. You can create your own rainbow using a glass prism at home. The decomposition of color into a spectrum is called dispersion.
So, our sky functions as a prism. Most white light changes its wavelength as it passes through gas molecules in the atmosphere. As a result, photons “leaving” the molecules have a different color. This color can be either purple, red, or blue and blue.
Why do we see blue and not red?
What color we eventually see when light travels from the sun to the earth depends on which photons prevail. For example, when light passes through the atmosphere, the number of blue color quanta is 8 times more than red, and violet is 16 times! This is due to the very different wavelength, so violet and blue scatter strongly, and red and yellow scatter much worse. Based on this theory, the sky should be purple, but it is not. This is due to the fact that purple is much worse perceived by the human eye, unlike blue. That is why the sky is blue.
Video about why the sky is blue:
Why is the sky blue during the day and the sunset is red
Everything, again, is connected with the dispersion of color. The angle of incidence of solar white light becomes smaller, and the light passes through more air molecules, the wavelength of light increases. This amount is enough to diffuse to red.
Answer question for children
If a child asked you a question about the blue sky, you certainly will not tell him about dispersion, spectra and photons. It is enough to quote from the children's book "100 Children's Why" Tatiana Yatsenko:
Usually we draw the sun's rays in yellow. But in fact, the light of the sun is white and consists of seven colors. These are the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Not all colors pass through the air, only blue, indigo and violet. They color the sky.
It would be enough. On our website you can also download a presentation on the topic: “Why the sky is blue” at the link: prezentaciya-pochemu-nebo-goluboe It may come in handy in the classroom at school.
When the wind throws a white fluffy transparent cape over the beautiful blue sky, people begin to look up more and more often. If at the same time it also puts on a large gray fur coat with silver threads of rain, then those around hide from it under umbrellas. If the outfit is dark purple, then everyone is sitting at home and wanting to see the sunny blue sky.
And only when such a long-awaited sunny blue sky appears, which puts on a dazzling blue dress, decorated with golden sunbeams, people rejoice - and smiling, leave their homes in anticipation of good weather.
The question of why the sky is blue has puzzled people's minds since time immemorial. Greek legends have found their answer. They claimed that this shade is given to it by the purest rock crystal.
At the time of Leonardo da Vinci and Goethe, they were also looking for an answer to the question why the sky is blue. They believed that the blue color of the sky is obtained by mixing light with darkness. But later this theory was refuted as untenable, since it turned out that by combining these colors, you can get only the tones of the gray spectrum, but not the color one.
After some time, the answer to the question of why the sky is blue was tried to be explained in the 18th century by Mariotte, Bouguer and Euler. They believed that this was the natural color of the particles that make up the air. This theory was popular even at the beginning of the next century, especially when it was found that liquid oxygen is blue, and liquid ozone is blue.
The first more or less sensible idea was given by Saussure, who suggested that if the air were completely clean, without impurities, the sky would turn out to be black. But since the atmosphere contains various elements(for example, steam or water drops), then they, reflecting the color, give the sky the desired shade.
After that, scientists began to get closer and closer to the truth. Arago discovered polarization, one of the characteristics of scattered light that bounces off the sky. In this discovery, the scientist was definitely helped by physics. Later, other researchers began to look for the answer. At the same time, the question of why the sky is blue was so interesting for scientists that a huge number of different experiments were carried out to clarify it, which led to the idea that main reason the appearance of blue color is that the rays of our Sun are simply scattered in the atmosphere.
Explanation
Rayleigh, a British researcher, was the first to create a mathematically sound answer to molecular light scattering. He suggested that light is scattered not because of the impurities that the atmosphere possesses, but because of the air molecules themselves. His theory was developed - and here are the conclusions scientists came to.
The sun's rays make their way to the Earth through its atmosphere (a thick layer of air), the so-called air shell of the planet. The dark sky is completely filled with air, which, despite being completely transparent, is not a void, but consists of gas molecules - nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), as well as water droplets, steam, ice crystals and small pieces of solid material (for example, particles of dust, soot, ash, ocean salt, etc.).
Some rays manage to freely pass between gas molecules, completely bypassing them, and therefore reach the surface of our planet without changes, but most of the rays collide with gas molecules that come into an excited state, receive energy and release multi-colored rays in different directions, completely coloring the sky, resulting in a sunny blue sky.
White light itself consists of all the colors of the rainbow, which can often be seen when it is broken down into its component parts. It so happens that blue and violet colors scatter the most because they are the shortest part of the spectrum, since they have the shortest wavelength.
When mixed in an atmosphere of blue and purple with a small amount of red, yellow and green, the sky begins to "glow" blue.
Since the atmosphere of our planet is not homogeneous, but quite different (it is denser near the Earth's surface than at the top), it has a different structure and properties, we can observe blue overflows. Before sunset or sunrise, when the length of the sun's rays increases significantly, blue and purple colors are scattered in the atmosphere and absolutely do not reach the surface of our planet. The yellow-red waves successfully reach, which we observe in the sky during this period of time.
At night, when the sun's rays, falling on a certain side of the planet, have no opportunity, the atmosphere there becomes transparent, and we see the "black" space. This is how astronauts above the atmosphere see it. It is worth noting that the astronauts were lucky, because when they are over 15 km above the earth's surface, during the day they can simultaneously observe the Sun and stars.
Sky color on other planets
Since the color of the sky is largely dependent on the atmosphere, it is not surprising that on different planets it is of different colors. Interestingly, the atmosphere of Saturn is the same color as on our planet.
Very beautiful aquamarine skies of Uranus. Its atmosphere consists mainly of helium and hydrogen. It also contains methane, which completely absorbs red and scatters green and blue. The blue skies of Neptune: in the atmosphere of this planet there is not as much helium and hydrogen as ours, but there is a lot of methane, which neutralizes the red light.
The atmosphere on the Moon, a satellite of the Earth, as well as on Mercury and Pluto, is completely absent, therefore, light rays are not reflected, so the sky is black here, and the stars are easily distinguishable. The blue and green colors of the sun's rays are completely absorbed by the atmosphere of Venus, and when the Sun is near the horizon, the skies here are yellow.
"Why the sky is blue?" - This is one of the most popular children's questions. But, unfortunately, not every adult can answer it. First, you need to have knowledge of physics. And, secondly, to be able to explain complex information to a small child in an accessible way.
Let us try to briefly formulate the answer to this question from the point of view of physics, but plain language.
Why the sky is blue can be explained in several ways:
Why the sky is blue - video for children
On the Internet there are special videos and presentations for children on the topic: “Why is the sky blue?”. They are created taking into account age, so the answer to the question will be simple and clear. Of course, any video must first be previewed. After watching, the child can play the game. Ask him to become a teacher and explain to you why the sky is blue. Thus, you can find out how the baby learned the information. In addition, the opportunity to be an adult will give the child a lot of positive emotions.
For example, some videos below.
Why the sky is blue - detailed explanation
Informative short cartoons for children about why the sky is blue
What color is the sun, sky and clouds? Explanation for children in terms of physics
Why is the sky blue in terms of physics?
Many researchers have tried to answer this question. However, only at the end of the 19th century, D. Rayleigh was able to give this phenomenon the best explanation. The sun studies rays of pure transparent light. Therefore, we should also see the sky as white. But on the way to the earth, the sun's rays change their shade. This is possible due to the fact that White color includes a range of 7 shades. It is thanks to their combination that the white color is obtained.
Why does the white color break up into shades, but we see only blue? At first, scientists explained this by the special composition of the air, which consists of a large number chemical components. IN earth's atmosphere there are also water vapor, ice crystals, dust particles, etc. Ozone is formed in the uppermost layer.
According to the physicists who were the first to deal with this issue, ozone and water molecules absorb red rays, while blue rays pass through. However, after making precise calculations, the scientists ruled out that explanation, as there simply isn't enough ozone and water in the atmosphere to make the sky blue.
After 70 years, the scientist D. Tyindall suggested that the light is scattered due to dust and other particles present in the air. Blue light is scattered the least, which is why the phenomenon of a blue sky is created. The scientist argued that if the air were absolutely clean, then the sky would also seem white to us.
Soon, D. Rayleigh also revised his attitude to why the sky is blue. He suggested that the sky is colored blue not by particles of smoke, smog or dust, but directly by the air. Some of the rays reach the Earth without changing their color. But most of it still comes into contact with gas molecules and is absorbed by them.
In such an interaction, the molecules are filled with energy, excited, and again emit energy in the form of photons. The resulting photons can be of any color. They scatter in any direction. The color of the rays will then depend on the predominance of quanta of one or another shade. During the collision of photons and gas molecules, there are 8 blue quanta for one secondary red quantum. From this, the scientist concluded: we see the sky blue due to the refraction of color due to gas molecules.
How to explain to a child why the sky is blue?
For a small child, information about a question of interest to him should be presented as simply and accessible as possible. The best option is to resort to the help of fairy tales and metaphors. The smaller the child, the less scientific information he needs to be given. Consider how to explain to a child why the sky is blue in different ages.
Explanation for a child 2-3 years old
It will be difficult for a kid of this age to understand information about spectra, wavelengths and other intricacies of physics. Tell your child that there are many different water bodies on our Earth: rivers, seas, lakes. Be sure to show him in the pictures. When it is warm and sunny outside, the water is reflected in the sky, as if in a mirror. The water in the river and the lake is blue, so the sky is also blue. You can take any blue object and demonstrate how it is reflected in the mirror. Better yet, go to the pond and bring a mirror to it. The child will see real confirmation of your words.
Explanation for a child 3-4 years old
To a child of this age to explain everything more realistically. You can tell him that the white color is not very simple. It includes 7 other shades at once: orange, green, blue, purple, blue, yellow and red. Show a picture of a rainbow. All rays "get" to the ground through a dense layer of air, like through a sieve. Each sunbeam is splashed and split into separate parts along the way. However, the blue color is the most persistent, so it persists. It is he who paints the sky blue.
Explanation for a child 4-5 years old
The air seems transparent to us. But he's only up close. But his real color is blue. Invite the child to look at the sky. Explain to the baby that the air is very dense, which is why it seems blue to us from afar. To visually demonstrate this effect to him, take a piece of a plastic bag. Fold the package several times and give it to the baby. Let him look through it at the sun and make sure that the rays have changed transparency and hue.
Explanation for a child 5-6 years old
Air is a mixture of different particles (steam, dust, gas). They are very small, so it is not easy to see them. This can only be done with a microscope. The rays of the sun consist of 7 shades. Making their way through the air stream, they collide with small particles, and therefore disintegrate. But blue is the most persistent color, which is why the firmament seems to us just like that.
And here is another answer. The sun's rays appear short and yellow to us. The air that is around us is made up of a huge number of particles that we cannot see. When the sun sends its rays to the Earth, not all of them reach the surface. The rays of blue are the shortest, they do not have time to get to us, so they dissolve along the way and turn blue.
What to answer the child if he asked a question unexpectedly?
Little “why” ask their parents several dozen questions a day. It is not always possible to answer them truthfully and easily. After all, not every parent reads encyclopedias about technology, the world around them and other things that are so interesting to the baby. Walk away from the conversation - not the most the best option. What to do in this situation?
If the question "has got you into a dead end," tell your child that you will answer it later. But your promise must be kept, so that the baby does not lose the desire to know this world. It is useful to have a children's encyclopedia on hand, which will provide answers to many questions.
If the child is interested in information about the sky, stars, planets, etc., go with him to the planetarium. Experienced guides will simply and clearly tell the little researcher about the history of the appearance of the Earth, stars, clouds, solar system etc.
When choosing information and answering a child’s question, be guided by his age. If the search for an answer to a child's question took a lot of time and made you "sweat", be sure to thank the baby for the fact that you also learned a lot of new things.
Why is the sunset red?
Red rays are the longest. In addition, they are the least scattered by gas molecules. During the day, the sun rises high above the earth. The sun's rays are directed vertically. But in the evening, the heavenly body descends beyond the horizon and illuminates the earth at an angle. That is why the rays have to travel a longer distance than in the daytime. The blue-blue spectrum is absorbed in dense layer atmosphere and does not reach the surface. But the red-yellow rays, due to their length, reach the Earth and paint the sky red.
Why are clouds white?
Why the sky is blue became clear. But a natural question immediately arises: “Why are clouds white?”. To give the best answer, you need to understand how they are formed. Moist air, which contains invisible vapor, heats up in the ground area and rises. Up Atmosphere pressure less than near the ground, so the air expands and cools.
As soon as the temperature of the steam reaches a certain temperature, its droplets condense around solid particles and grains of dust that are in the atmosphere. This is how clouds form. Water particles are quite small, but they are much larger than gas molecules. When the rays of the sun meet air molecules, they are scattered. And if with water drops, then they are reflected. At the same time, its natural color is preserved, so it also colors cloud molecules with white.