Why is Air invisible?
Why is Air invisible?
Objects appear to be the color they reflect to our eyes.
Air is a mixture of gases, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with small molecules that are far apart. Wavelengths of light may pass by these molecules without hitting them.
When they do bump a molecule, it absorbs some color and scatters some, spreading it out in all directions.
Air is a mixture of gases, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, with small molecules that are far apart. Wavelengths of light may pass by these molecules without hitting them.
When they do bump a molecule, it absorbs some color and scatters some, spreading it out in all directions.
Too little reaches our eyes for us to notice unless there is a lot of it. For example, so much scattered blue light in the atmosphere makes the sky look blue.
Comments