cover

Sky's Gray Blanket

Why is the sky sometimes gray?
You look up, and instead of blue, the sky is gray — flat, soft, like someone pulled a blanket over the world. ~~What hap

You look up, and instead of blue, the sky is gray — flat, soft, like someone pulled a blanket over the world. What happened to all that color?

On a clear day, sunlight travels straight through the air to your eyes. Air molecules are tiny — **way tinier than the w

On a clear day, sunlight travels straight through the air to your eyes. Air molecules are tiny — way tinier than the wavelengths of light — so they scatter blue light in every direction. That's why the sky looks blue: you're seeing blue light bouncing around everywhere.

~~But when clouds roll in, everything changes.~~ Clouds are made of water droplets and ice crystals — each one **much bi

But when clouds roll in, everything changes. Clouds are made of water droplets and ice crystals — each one much bigger than an air molecule. Big enough that they don't pick favorites. They scatter all colors of light equally: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, everything.

When all the colors *scatter together in equal amounts*, they mix back into white light. It's **like stirring every pain

When all the colors scatter together in equal amounts, they mix back into white light. It's like stirring every paint color on a palette until you get a pale wash. So a cloud doesn't look blue — it looks white or gray, depending on how thick it is.

A thin cloud lets a lot of light through, so it **glows white**. A thick storm cloud is ~~packed with so many droplets~~

A thin cloud lets a lot of light through, so it glows white. A thick storm cloud is packed with so many droplets that sunlight can't make it all the way through. The bottom of the cloud stays dark. Less light reaches your eyes, so you see gray — or even a deep charcoal if the cloud is tall and heavy.

The thicker the cloud layer, the **less blue sky peeks through**. On an overcast day, clouds can cover the whole sky _li

The thicker the cloud layer, the less blue sky peeks through. On an overcast day, clouds can cover the whole sky like a ceiling. All that scattered white-gray light diffuses down evenly, so there's no bright sun-spot, no shadows — just soft, directionless light everywhere.

Sometimes the clouds are so thick and low that they actually touch the ground. We call that ++fog++. ~~You're walking th

Sometimes the clouds are so thick and low that they actually touch the ground. We call that fog. You're walking through a cloud when that happens — water droplets floating right in front of your face, scattering light in every direction so you can barely see ten feet ahead.

So the gray sky ~~isn't broken — it's just crowded~~. **Millions of tiny water droplets** scattering every color at once

So the gray sky isn't broken — it's just crowded. Millions of tiny water droplets scattering every color at once, mixing them back into white and gray. And when the clouds finally drift away, the blue comes back, like pulling off a blanket and letting the sky breathe again.

How was this book?

A Wonderleaf Book

Sky's Gray Blanket

— Why is the sky sometimes gray? —

Wonderleaf Editions
— ex libris —
A Wonderleaf Book

Sky's Gray Blanket

Why is the sky sometimes gray?

Wonderleaf Editions · MMXXVI
Scene 1
You look up, and instead of blue, the sky is gray — flat, soft, like someone pulled a blanket over the world. ~~What hap
Sky's Gray Blanket2
Scene 1

You look up, and instead of blue, the sky is gray — flat, soft, like someone pulled a blanket over the world. What happened to all that color?

3Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 2
On a clear day, sunlight travels straight through the air to your eyes. Air molecules are tiny — **way tinier than the w
Sky's Gray Blanket4
Scene 2

On a clear day, sunlight travels straight through the air to your eyes. Air molecules are tiny — way tinier than the wavelengths of light — so they scatter blue light in every direction. That's why the sky looks blue: you're seeing blue light bouncing around everywhere.

5Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 3
~~But when clouds roll in, everything changes.~~ Clouds are made of water droplets and ice crystals — each one **much bi
Sky's Gray Blanket6
Scene 3

But when clouds roll in, everything changes. Clouds are made of water droplets and ice crystals — each one much bigger than an air molecule. Big enough that they don't pick favorites. They scatter all colors of light equally: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, everything.

7Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 4
When all the colors *scatter together in equal amounts*, they mix back into white light. It's **like stirring every pain
Sky's Gray Blanket8
Scene 4

When all the colors scatter together in equal amounts, they mix back into white light. It's like stirring every paint color on a palette until you get a pale wash. So a cloud doesn't look blue — it looks white or gray, depending on how thick it is.

9Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 5
A thin cloud lets a lot of light through, so it **glows white**. A thick storm cloud is ~~packed with so many droplets~~
Sky's Gray Blanket10
Scene 5

A thin cloud lets a lot of light through, so it glows white. A thick storm cloud is packed with so many droplets that sunlight can't make it all the way through. The bottom of the cloud stays dark. Less light reaches your eyes, so you see gray — or even a deep charcoal if the cloud is tall and heavy.

11Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 6
The thicker the cloud layer, the **less blue sky peeks through**. On an overcast day, clouds can cover the whole sky _li
Sky's Gray Blanket12
Scene 6

The thicker the cloud layer, the less blue sky peeks through. On an overcast day, clouds can cover the whole sky like a ceiling. All that scattered white-gray light diffuses down evenly, so there's no bright sun-spot, no shadows — just soft, directionless light everywhere.

13Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 7
Sometimes the clouds are so thick and low that they actually touch the ground. We call that ++fog++. ~~You're walking th
Sky's Gray Blanket14
Scene 7

Sometimes the clouds are so thick and low that they actually touch the ground. We call that fog. You're walking through a cloud when that happens — water droplets floating right in front of your face, scattering light in every direction so you can barely see ten feet ahead.

15Sky's Gray Blanket
Scene 8
So the gray sky ~~isn't broken — it's just crowded~~. **Millions of tiny water droplets** scattering every color at once
Sky's Gray Blanket16
Scene 8

So the gray sky isn't broken — it's just crowded. Millions of tiny water droplets scattering every color at once, mixing them back into white and gray. And when the clouds finally drift away, the blue comes back, like pulling off a blanket and letting the sky breathe again.

17Sky's Gray Blanket

~ finis ~

Tiny picture books for big little questions.

— a small constellation of questions —
✦Wonderleaf
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