Light and the Atmosphere

Observing colors of sunsets/sunrises, and moonrises/moonsets.

"What causes the different colors we see in the sky?"

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Where we started...

Analyzing Data

Lauri Kosonen. CC BY-SA 3.0

Michelle Raponi

Stainless Images

Sorasek

Belinda Fewings

Chris Newlan

"At what other times do we see colors in the atmosphere?"

Modeling Light in the Atmosphere

Multiple Choice

What affect did the milk particles PRIMARILY have on the light as it passed through the model atmosphere? (What caused the milky water to "glow"?)

• The particles caused the light to scatter

• The particles caused the light to reflect

• The particles caused the light to refract

• The particles caused the light to transmit

We analyzed how light interacts with different matter and asked, "How does water or glass separate white light into different colors?"

Multiple Choice

What affect does water and glass have on white light that causes it to change directions as it passes through the material?

• Light is reflected

• Light is refracted

• Light is reflected

• Light is transformed

1789 lux

164.3 lux

584 lux

811 lux

​"If white light can be separated into colors, can different colors blend to make white light?"

Multiple Choice

What primary affect did the wall have on the light?

• It refracted the light.

• It transmitted the light

• It reflected the light.

• It scattered the light.

Poll

True or False

Materials like water or glass must be able to separate white light into different colors and change their path based on what color is present.

• True

• False

• I don't understand

Let's take a look at how much different materials can refract light.

"Do white, red, and green light refract differently?"

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Demonstration

Multiple Choice

Look at the picture of the prism. Which colors of light get refracted the MOST?

• red and orange

• yellow and green

• green and blue

• blue and violet

Poll

Which color would you expect to get scattered more by particles in the atmosphere?

• Red and orange

• Orange and yellow

• Yellow and green

• Blue and violet

How might this help explain why we see blue higher in the sky, and orange lower in the sky during a sunset?

Blue light gets scattered more by particles in the atmosphere.