What phenomenon explains why the sky is blue?
Rayleigh scattering
Compton scattering
Mie scattering
Thomson scattering
Answer
Rayleigh scattering is the phenomenon that explains why the sky appears blue. This scattering occurs when sunlight interacts with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere, primarily nitrogen and oxygen. The shorter, blue wavelengths of sunlight are scattered more effectively than the longer, red wavelengths. This scattering causes the blue light to be dispersed throughout the sky, giving it its characteristic blue hue.
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