WORKSHOP #1

Why is
The Sky Blue ?

Pasindu Somabandu
Nalanda College Astronomical Society
Albert Einstein and the Nature of Light

Einstein’s genius lay in his

ability to bridge the gap between
radiation in space and
radiation-matter interactions. He
explained the interaction between
the light and matter by the
absorption and emission of light
quanta, thereby explaining several
perplexing physical phenomena.
Why is an apple red in colour
The White light
Then how is the sky blue ?
Rayleigh Scattering

John William Strutt

Lord Rayleigh’s first researches were mainly

mathematical, concerning optics and vibrating
systems, but his later work ranged over almost
the whole field of physics, covering sound,
wave theory, colour vision, electrodynamics,
electromagnetism, light scattering, flow of
liquids, hydrodynamics, density of gases,
viscosity, capillarity, elasticity, and
photography.
Why isn’t the sky purple ?
Why is the sky red at sunsets