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Welcome to our blog!
We are working on a project for our science fair. We want to know why the sky is blue?
Can you help us find the answer?
Links we are using for our research
- http://all-science-fair-projects.com/science_fair_projects/21/295/3d6fb66c259e4b6ac7adabc7846481b4.html
- http://www1.cbsd.org/schools/kutz/Documents/The%20Scientific%20Method.pdf
- http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/scientific-method-handout.pdf
- http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/sciencekids/bluesky.html
- http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/misrsky/misr_sky.shtml
About Us
- Gabbie and Ashlyn
- We are third graders and friends. We decided to do this science fair project together. We want some opinions from other people. We are going to add more about us later. Gotta go.
I can't wait to see what you find out.
ReplyDeleteWho said it was? The sky isn't really blue. Blue is just the color our eyes see when the sunlight enters our atmosphere. The light from the sun is actually made up of many colors. Nitrogen and oxygen particles make up our atmosphere, and when the light hits them our eyes are most sensitive to the blue light, which is why we see the sky as being blue.
ReplyDeleteMeghan I says... The blue color of the sky is caused by scattering. When light moves through the atmosphere, alot of the longer wavelengths pass straight through.
ReplyDeleteFor the shorter wave lengths light is absorbed by all the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then radiated in different directions. It gets scattered all around the sky. So when you look up the blue lights scatter and you see the sky looking blue.
MLD has some experiments to try!
ReplyDeleteHere's one! Have fun Gabbie!
Sky in a Jar
What you need:
a clear, straight-sided drinking glass, or clear plastic or glass jar
water, milk, measuring spoons, flashlight
a darkened room
What to do:
1. Fill the glass or jar about 2/3 full of water (about 8 - 12 oz. or 250 - 400 ml)
2. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2 - 5 ml) milk and stir.
3. Take the glass and flashlight into a darkened room.
4. Hold the flashlight above the surface of the water and observe the water in the glass from the side. It should have a slight bluish tint. Now, hold the flashlight to the side of the glass and look through the water directly at the light. The water should have a slightly reddish tint. Put the flashlight under the glass and look down into the water from the top. It should have a deeper reddish tint.
What happened: The small particles of milk suspended in the water scattered the light from the flashlight, like the dust particles and molecules in the air scatter sunlight. When the light shines in the top of the glass, the water looks blue because you see blue light scattered to the side. When you look through the water directly at the light, it appears red because some of the blue was removed by scattering.
Well Gab & Ashlyn, I was thinking that the answer to "Why is the Sky Blue" had something to do with the reflection of sunlight. But, since I didn't know for certain, I researched it on the internet. I found alot of detailed answers but I liked this one the best
ReplyDelete"A clear cloudless day-time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they scatter red light. When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because the blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight."
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html
Good luck with your project! I learned something new today because of you.
Hi Girls,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to say the sky is blue because that is my favorite color but I know that is not right. I asked my daughter Rachel, who is a Science teacher and she told me that the reasons that Mary Jean and others gave you are correct. She told me her explanation in a shorter sentence.
"The sky is blue due to the scattering of in-coming solar radiation."
Hi Girls,
ReplyDeleteFirst, cool way to do your project, great graphics. I learned that it has a lot to do with our eyes detcting the shorter blue wavelenghts and the scattering of the particles. But remember the sky is not one shade of blue. If you are to paint the sky it is lighter at the horizon line (where the sky meets the earth) and darker as it reaches the atmosphere. maybe that can be another point to study, I will work on why that is and let you know my findings. Good luck!
Hi Gab and Ashlyn-
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure why the sky is blue. Now, if you asked why the sky is gray sometimes, that I could answer! But since I prefer a blue sky as I'm sure you both do, I looked it up. Here is the simpliest answer I could find. The blue color of the sky is due to scattering. As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through (red, orange and yellow light) because they are not affected by the air. However, much of the shorter wavelength light (blue) is absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue light is then scattered all around the sky. I will definitely check out your project at the science fair! Good luck!
Hope you find the answer...also you may want to try finding why the ocean in Florida is torquise
ReplyDeleteUncle David
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMary Lu,
ReplyDeleteWe tried your experiment, and it worked.
Your blog looks wonderful, girls! I love all the research you're doing. Did you know that without our atmosphere the sky would be black? If you were on the surface of the moon, the sky would appear black even in the daytime because the atmosphere is so thin. Check out this picture from ScienceDaily.com courtesy of NASA. http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/09/080924191552-large.jpg
ReplyDeleteGab & Ashlyn:
ReplyDeleteI always thought the sky was blue due to light reflecting off the oceans...obviously I was all wrong - its all about the scattering of light as it enters the atmosphere. Too cool - Thanks for teaching me something new!