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The Color of the Sky
Departmentof The History of Science, Harvard University, 02138 Cambridge, USA
- 1 Departmentof The History of Science, Harvard University, 02138 Cambridge, USA
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences·Volume 02 (2012)·Pages 510–517·Published 31 October 2012·DOI10.4236/acs.2012.24045
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Abstract
The color of the sky in day-time and at twilight is studied by means of spectroscopy, which provides an unambiguous way to understand and quantify why a sky is blue, pink, or red. The colors a daylight sky can take primarily owe to Rayleigh extinction and ozone absorption. Spectra of the sky illuminated by the sun can generally be represented by a generic analytical expression which involves the Rayleigh function , ozone absorption, and, to a lesser extend, aerosol extinction. This study is based on a representative sample of spectra selected from a few hundred observations taken in different places, times, and dates, with a portable fiber spectrometer.
KeywordsSky ColorRayleigh ExtinctionOzoneAerosolsRadiative TransferSpectral Analysis
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