A Wonderleaf question
Why is the sky blue?
a real page from the book
The sky looks blue because sunlight contains many colors, and Earth’s air scatters blue light more strongly than red or yellow. Tiny gas molecules send those shorter blue waves in all directions, so wherever your child looks on a clear day, blue light is arriving from across the sky.
Violet light scatters even more, but our eyes notice blue better, and sunlight carries less violet to begin with. That is a lovely bit of body-and-planet teamwork: the color overhead comes from physics in the air and the way human eyes sort color.
Wonder words
- sunlight
- atmosphere
- molecules
- scattering
Try it out
Shine a flashlight through a clear glass of water and look for how the beam changes from the side.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
Open the picture bookOne more wonder: Why is space so dark?
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