I liked a version of this (I believe) XKCD said once.
A perfectly valid response to the question, “why is the sky blue?” is simply, “because air is blue.”
Yes, you can give a lot of explanation about refractive index and Rayleigh scattering. But all this does is provide details of how light interacts with air. And the same reason anything is the color that it is is due to the way it reflects, transmits, or absorbs light. You’re citing real scientific principles, but you’re ultimately just explaining why air is blue.
The title text is more directly applicable: If you ask “why are leaves green?” the usual answer is “because they’re full of chlorophyll, and chlorophyll is green,” even though “why does chlorophyll scatter green light?” is a great question too.
The same is true for all colors. Tell me the color of a single atom.
Yes, air can be colors other than blue at unusual light conditions, like sunset. But the same is true for any material.
You’re stuck on the urge to explain. You call “the air is blue” incomplete. But all answers are incomplete. When someone asks what color an object is, they mean under ordinary distances and conditions. Air is blue even in an ordinary room. It just takes miles worth of air for its slight blue color to be noticeable.
It’s about density. Think of a single strand of webbing from a spider versus a thick, established spider web, or a single drop of blue food colouring in a bathtub of water.
I’m obviously talking about tangible physical objects you see every day. I’m talking about lived experience. Most things you encounter are obviously a certain color, transparent, or some amount of reflective. The sky and butterfly wings whose material are not actually that color and pretty normal things to ponder.
I liked a version of this (I believe) XKCD said once.
A perfectly valid response to the question, “why is the sky blue?” is simply, “because air is blue.”
Yes, you can give a lot of explanation about refractive index and Rayleigh scattering. But all this does is provide details of how light interacts with air. And the same reason anything is the color that it is is due to the way it reflects, transmits, or absorbs light. You’re citing real scientific principles, but you’re ultimately just explaining why air is blue.
It’s a very good relevant XKCD.
The title text is more directly applicable: If you ask “why are leaves green?” the usual answer is “because they’re full of chlorophyll, and chlorophyll is green,” even though “why does chlorophyll scatter green light?” is a great question too.
Better question: “Why is the sky usually blue but sometimes red?”
Talking specifically about sunsets, not apocalyptic wildfire smoke
Incidentally it’s the same reason between a sunset and smoke - more scattering.
“Don’t breathe air, it has sharks in it! BLUE HAS SHARKS IN IT!” -The funny purple man
First if all: don’t name your kid brayden.
???
It’s a two minute comedy bit.
https://youtu.be/hc73pgg5RGU?is=2ZxFKDcomzbk5ujm
But it’s an incomplete answer.
“air is invisible at short distances, blue at longer distances, and takes on red green and orange at sunset” would be better
The same is true for all colors. Tell me the color of a single atom.
Yes, air can be colors other than blue at unusual light conditions, like sunset. But the same is true for any material.
You’re stuck on the urge to explain. You call “the air is blue” incomplete. But all answers are incomplete. When someone asks what color an object is, they mean under ordinary distances and conditions. Air is blue even in an ordinary room. It just takes miles worth of air for its slight blue color to be noticeable.
Most physical objects I encounter are the same color up close that they are far away…
Edit: ITT, people who completely misunderstand my point downvoting me and being pedantic
It’s about density. Think of a single strand of webbing from a spider versus a thick, established spider web, or a single drop of blue food colouring in a bathtub of water.
What is the color of a carbon atom?
I’m obviously talking about tangible physical objects you see every day. I’m talking about lived experience. Most things you encounter are obviously a certain color, transparent, or some amount of reflective. The sky and butterfly wings whose material are not actually that color and pretty normal things to ponder.
Would you also say a mirror is green? Or a glass of water is blue? Windows are a greenish hue? Shaving foam is blue?
I came upon a silly scene,
As they opined 'bout blue,
“The lemming’s comment rhymes!”, I screamed
An experience quite new!