*Where* does sunlight scattering occur?

In summary, the sky appeared darker and grayer than normal, possibly because of the bright sunlight shining on the ship shadow.
  • #36
sophiecentaur said:
One man's "heavy handed" is another man's survival fitness. Homo sapiens, way back, was far more interested in recognising, consistently, the reflected colours of meat, mates and foliage than in assessing the colour of the Sun. We still have to take the jumper outside into the street to see just how near it matches the socks, though, when we're in Marks'.

Absolutely. Which is why I was originally talking about average use of average users. For most pedestrian intents and purposes, it's not a problem. It is heavy-handed because it's meant to be contextual. Trying to spot a tiger in the grass should not be confounded by the red of sunset versus the white of noon.But now we're into comparing colours of things in lighting conditions that are nowhere near average, and trying to pretend there's some calibration of absolute colour. No way.
 
<h2> Where does sunlight scattering occur in the atmosphere?</h2><p>Sunlight scattering occurs in the Earth's atmosphere, specifically in the troposphere and stratosphere. It also occurs in the upper layers of the atmosphere, such as the mesosphere and thermosphere.</p><h2> Does sunlight scattering occur evenly throughout the atmosphere?</h2><p>No, sunlight scattering occurs more frequently in the lower layers of the atmosphere, as the air is denser and there are more particles for the sunlight to scatter off of. As altitude increases, the density of particles decreases, resulting in less frequent scattering.</p><h2> Can sunlight scattering occur in other places besides the Earth's atmosphere?</h2><p>Yes, sunlight scattering can also occur in other planetary atmospheres, such as on Mars or Venus. It can also occur in other types of atmospheres, such as the atmosphere of a gas giant like Jupiter.</p><h2> How does the angle of the sun affect sunlight scattering?</h2><p>The angle of the sun can greatly affect sunlight scattering. When the sun is directly overhead, there is less scattering because the light travels a shorter distance through the atmosphere. As the angle of the sun decreases, the light must travel through more layers of the atmosphere, resulting in more frequent scattering.</p><h2> Is sunlight scattering the same as sunlight reflection?</h2><p>No, sunlight scattering and sunlight reflection are different processes. Sunlight scattering occurs when light is scattered in all directions by particles in the atmosphere, while sunlight reflection occurs when light bounces off a surface, such as the Earth's surface or a body of water.</p>

FAQ: *Where* does sunlight scattering occur?

Where does sunlight scattering occur in the atmosphere?

Sunlight scattering occurs in the Earth's atmosphere, specifically in the troposphere and stratosphere. It also occurs in the upper layers of the atmosphere, such as the mesosphere and thermosphere.

Does sunlight scattering occur evenly throughout the atmosphere?

No, sunlight scattering occurs more frequently in the lower layers of the atmosphere, as the air is denser and there are more particles for the sunlight to scatter off of. As altitude increases, the density of particles decreases, resulting in less frequent scattering.

Can sunlight scattering occur in other places besides the Earth's atmosphere?

Yes, sunlight scattering can also occur in other planetary atmospheres, such as on Mars or Venus. It can also occur in other types of atmospheres, such as the atmosphere of a gas giant like Jupiter.

How does the angle of the sun affect sunlight scattering?

The angle of the sun can greatly affect sunlight scattering. When the sun is directly overhead, there is less scattering because the light travels a shorter distance through the atmosphere. As the angle of the sun decreases, the light must travel through more layers of the atmosphere, resulting in more frequent scattering.

Is sunlight scattering the same as sunlight reflection?

No, sunlight scattering and sunlight reflection are different processes. Sunlight scattering occurs when light is scattered in all directions by particles in the atmosphere, while sunlight reflection occurs when light bounces off a surface, such as the Earth's surface or a body of water.

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