When kids come up with weird doubts, explaining them in the simplest manner possible can be challenging. It is not easy to explain to them all the concepts of physics at a young age. As parents, what you can do is make the concepts easier for them. While on the journey to answer your kids’ questions, it is essential to encourage them to ask more doubts. When a simple question such as why the sky is blue confuses the kid, it is necessary to address it.
So, what is the best way to answer your child without confusing them more? Let’s find out about it with a step-by-step guide to answer these questions.
Why is the Colour of Clear Sky Blue?
Begin this by teaching them the meaning of a prism. It is simple — a prism is like a crystal that scatters the colours of light passing through it. Next, tell them the light from the sun is white and not yellow.
After this, you can take their question: why is the sky blue? Tell them the sky is blue because the white sunlight goes through the atmosphere, and all its seven colours (of a rainbow) are scattered. Don’t try to tell the whole concept in one go; let them grasp and question you again.
A curious child will always ask back why only the colour blue is visible? Where are the other six colours gone? This will ensure that your child has understood the concept of scattering, prism, and white light. To answer this question, let’s move ahead.
Scattering of Light
The best way to explain the other six colours is to tell the kids about the waves of light. Tell them that light travels in a straight line, but only till something gets into its way. And when light hits something, it will either reflect, bend, or scatter. After this, help the children understand what happens when light passes through the atmosphere.
When the light from the sun reaches the Earth and hits the atmosphere, it scatters. This makes the light travel in waves rather than a straight line. Since the blue colour has the shortest wavelength, it reaches our eyes. That is why the colour of sky is blue, well, most of the time.
The Role of Atmospheric Gases
What is in the atmosphere that scatters the light? What works as the prism or the mirror? The atmosphere is the reason for the scattering of white light. Let us find out. To make the kids understand the same, you must ensure that you make it as simple as possible.
The atmosphere is made up of many gases which are not visible. And these gases are the reason why the light scatters. There are many gases like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc., but the major portion is nitrogen and oxygen. You can skip going into the details but make sure that you cover every basic point for the kids to understand better.
Other Colours of the Sky
Mostly the colour of sky is blue and kids will understand the logic and science behind it very well. But is the sky always blue? Well, apparently not. So, while you are telling the kids about the colours of the sky, you must cover some related questions for a better understanding. Let us see what those questions can be.
Why is the Colour of the Sky Different During Sunset and Sunrise?
This is the most obvious question that must come up while teaching the kid about the colours of the sky. They might ask you what happens during sunsets. Is the sky blue even during the sunsets? Well, definitely not; during sunsets, the sky appears red. Tell your kids the logic behind the red colour of the sky during sunrise and sunset.
The answer to the sky being red is the same as for it being blue. When the sun is about to sink, the ray passes through the atmosphere and gets scattered so many times that it allows red and yellow to fall on the human eyes. The light has to pass through more of the atmosphere to reach our eyes, and this causes too much scattering of light, making it easier for the colour red to reach us.
In Other Words
In other words, there are more molecules by which the lights pass during the sunrise and sunset. And this scatters the blue light and keeps it away from the human eyes. Also, during sunsets, when the sun is at the horizon, the distance the light travels is more. And as already mentioned, after the colour blue, red has the longest wavelength; it reaches the eyes, whereas all other colours are blocked by the atmosphere.
Why is the Sky Colour Different during Rains?
On rainy, hazy, stormy, wintery days, the colour of sky is some shades apart from blue. Why is it so? Why is the colour of sky greyish during the above-mentioned weather conditions? Hazy air has a lot of water molecules, and these molecules can scatter light of all wavelengths, not just blue. When the air is more polluted, the colour of sky may be yellow or brown as well. This phenomenon is called Mie Scattering.
So, the colour of the sky is also dependent on the way the light scatters in the atmosphere.
Why is the Night Sky Black?
Once the sun sets, the light coming from it also goes. We do get light from the moon and stars, but it is very less compared to the sunlight during the day. A further explanation comes from our ability to perceive light. You must explain to the kids that the night sky is black because the rods in the retina of human eyes are sensitive to weak lights. So, we are unable to perceive the colours and we see the night sky as black in colour.
Wrapping Up
Explaining why is the sky blue to the kids can be a cumbersome task. Do not try to answer in a too scientific or specialised way. You should look for an easy way to explain why the sky is blue for kids to help them understand and feel encouraged to ask more such questions in the future. Tell them about light and how it travels, also about the prism and mirror effect. Let them question back and then guide them to look for the answers.
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