Sky

The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of

the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may
also be considered a place between the ground and outer
space, thus distinct from outer space.

In the field of  astronomy, the sky is also called the  celestial
sphere. This is an abstract sphere, concentric to the Earth, on
which the  Sun,  Moon,  planets, and  stars  appear to
be  drifting. The celestial sphere is conventionally divided
into designated areas called constellations.

Usually, the term sky informally refers to a perspective from

the Earth's surface; however, the meaning and usage can
vary. An observer on the surface of the Earth can see a small
part of the sky, which resembles a dome (sometimes called
the  sky bowl) appearing flatter during the day than
at night.[1] In some cases, such as in discussing the weather,
the sky refers to only the lower, denser layers of the
atmosphere.
The sky above the clouds
The  daytime  sky appears blue because air
molecules scatter shorter wavelengths of sunlight more than
longer ones (redder light).[2][3][4][5]  The  night sky  appears to be a mostly dark surface or region
spangled with stars. The Sun and sometimes the Moon are visible in the daytime sky unless obscured
by clouds. At night, the Moon, planets, and stars are similarly visible in the sky.

Some of the natural phenomena seen in the sky are clouds,  rainbows,
and aurorae. Lightning and precipitation are also visible in the sky. Certain birds and insects, as well
as human inventions like aircraft and kites, can fly in the sky. Due to human activities, smog during
the day and light pollution during the night are often seen above large cities.

Contents
Etymology
During daytime
During twilight
During the night
Use in weather forecasting
Tropical cyclones
Use in transportation
Significance in mythology
Gallery
See also
References
External links

Etymology
The word sky comes from the Old Norse sky, meaning 'cloud, abode of God'. The Norse term is also
the source of the  Old English  scēo, which shares the same  Indo-European  base as the
classical Latin obscūrus, meaning 'obscure'.

In Old English, the term  heaven  was used to describe the observable expanse above the earth.
Throughout mentions in  Middle English, it was gradually restricted to its current, religious
meaning.[6]

During daytime
Except for direct  sunlight, most of the  light  in the  daytime  sky is
caused by scattering, which is dominated by a small-particle limit
called  Rayleigh scattering. The scattering due to molecule-sized
particles (as in air) is greater in the directions
both  toward  and  away  from the source of light than it is in
directions  perpendicular  to the incident path.[8]  Scattering is
significant for light at all visible wavelengths, but is stronger at the
shorter (bluer) end of the  visible spectrum, meaning that the
scattered light is bluer than its source: the  Sun. The remaining
direct sunlight, having lost some of its shorter-wavelength Earth's atmosphere scatters a
components, appears slightly less blue.[5] greater proportion of blue light than
of red light.
Scattering  also occurs even more strongly in clouds. Individual
water droplets refract white light into a set of  colored rings. If a
cloud is thick enough, scattering from multiple water droplets will
wash out the set of colored rings and create a washed-out white
color.[9]

The sky can turn a multitude of colors such as red, orange, purple,
and yellow (especially near sunset or sunrise) when the light must
travel a much longer  path  (or  optical depth) through the
atmosphere. Scattering effects also partially polarize light from the
sky and are most pronounced at an angle 90° from the Sun. Civil, nautical, and
Scattered light from the horizon travels through as much as 38 astronomical twilight. Dusk is the
times the  air mass  as does light from the  zenith, causing a end of evening twilight.[7]
blue  gradient  looking  vivid  at the zenith and pale near the
horizon.[10]  Red light is also scattered if there is enough air
between the source and the observer, causing parts of the sky to change color as the Sun rises or sets.
As the air mass nears infinity, scattered daylight appears whiter and whiter.[11]

Apart from the Sun, distant clouds or snowy mountaintops may appear yellow. The effect is not very
obvious on clear days, but is very pronounced when clouds cover the line of sight, reducing the blue
hue from scattered sunlight.[11] At higher altitudes, the sky tends toward darker colors since scattering
is reduced due to lower air density. An extreme example is the Moon, where no atmospheric scattering
occurs, making the lunar sky black even when the Sun is visible.[12]
Sky  luminance  distribution models have been recommended by
the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) for the design
of  daylighting  schemes. Recent developments relate to "all sky
models" for modelling sky  luminance  under weather conditions
ranging from clear to overcast.[13]

During twilight
The brightness and color of the sky vary greatly over the course of Dawn is the beginning of morning
a day, and the primary cause of these properties differs as well. twilight.
When the  Sun  is well above the  horizon,
direct  scattering  of  sunlight  (Rayleigh scattering) is the
overwhelmingly dominant source of light. However,
during  twilight, the period between  sunset  and night or between
night and sunrise, the situation is more complex.

Green flashes  and green rays are optical phenomena that occur
shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible
above the Sun, usually for no more than a second or two, or it may
resemble a green ray shooting up from the sunset point. Green
flashes are a group of phenomena that stem from different
causes,[14]  most of which occur when there is a Sky during day time
temperature  inversion  (when the temperature increases with
altitude rather than the normal decrease in temperature with
altitude). Green flashes may be observed from any altitude (even from an
aircraft). They are usually seen above an unobstructed horizon, such as
over the ocean, but are also seen above clouds and mountains. Green
flashes may also be observed at the horizon in association with
the Moon and bright planets, including Venus and Jupiter.[15][16]

Earth's shadow is the shadow that the planet casts through its atmosphere
and into outer space. This atmospheric phenomenon is visible during civil
twilight (after sunset and before sunrise). When the weather conditions
and the  observing site  permit a clear view of the horizon, the shadow's
fringe appears as a dark or dull bluish band just above the horizon, in the
low part of the sky opposite of the (setting or rising) Sun's direction. A
related phenomenon is the Belt of Venus (or antitwilight arch), a pinkish The crescent Moon remains
band that is visible above the bluish band of Earth's shadow in the same visible just moments before
part of the sky. No defined line divides Earth's shadow and the Belt of sunrise.
Venus; one colored band fades into the other in the sky.[17][18]

Twilight is divided into three stages according to the Sun's depth below the horizon, measured in
segments of 6°. After sunset, the civil twilight sets in; it ends when the Sun drops more than 6° below
the horizon. This is followed by the nautical twilight, when the Sun is between 6° and 12° below the
horizon (depth between −6° and −12°), after which comes the  astronomical twilight, defined as the
period between −12° and −18°. When the Sun drops more than 18° below the horizon, the sky
generally attains its minimum brightness.[19]
Several sources can be identified as the source of the intrinsic brightness of the sky, namely airglow,
indirect scattering of sunlight, scattering of starlight, and artificial light pollution.

During the night

The term night sky refers to the sky as seen at night. The term is
usually associated with skygazing and astronomy, with reference to
views of celestial bodies such as stars, the Moon, and planets that
become visible on a clear night after the Sun has set. Natural light
sources in a night sky include moonlight, starlight, and airglow,
depending on location and timing. The fact that the sky is not
completely dark at night can be easily observed. Were the sky (in
the absence of moon and city lights) absolutely dark, one would
Aurora borealis over Bear Lake,
not be able to see the silhouette of an object against the sky.
Alaska
The night sky and studies of it have a historical place in both
ancient and modern cultures. In the past, for instance,
farmers have used the state of the night sky as a calendar
to determine when to plant crops. The ancient belief
in  astrology  is generally based on the belief that
relationships between heavenly bodies influence or convey
information about events on Earth. The scientific study of
The Milky Way can be seen as a large band
the night sky and bodies observed within it, meanwhile,
across the night sky, and is distorted into an
takes place in the science of astronomy.
arch in this 360° panorama.

Within  visible-light astronomy, the visibility of celestial

objects in the night sky is affected by light pollution. The
presence of the Moon in the night sky has historically hindered astronomical observation by increasing
the amount of ambient lighting. With the advent of artificial light sources, however, light pollution has
been a growing problem for viewing the night sky. Special filters and modifications to light fixtures can
help to alleviate this problem, but for the best views, both professional and amateur optical
astronomers seek viewing sites located far from major urban areas.

Use in weather forecasting

Along with pressure tendency, the condition of the sky is one of the
more important parameters used to forecast weather in
mountainous areas. Thickening of cloud cover or the invasion of a
higher cloud deck is indicative of rain in the near future. At night,
high thin  cirrostratus clouds  can lead to  halos  around the Moon,
which indicate the approach of a  warm front  and its associated
rain.[20]  Morning fog portends fair conditions and can be
White cumulus clouds appeared
associated with a  marine layer, an indication of a stable over Dhaka, Bangladesh, when
atmosphere.[21]  Rainy conditions are preceded by wind or clouds significant flooding was underway in
which prevent fog formation. The approach of a line of many parts of the country.
thunderstorms could indicate the approach of a  cold front. Cloud-free skies are indicative of fair
weather for the near future.[22] The use of sky cover in weather prediction has led to various  weather
lore over the centuries.[23]

Tropical cyclones

Within 36  hours of the passage of a  tropical cyclone's center, the

pressure begins to fall and a veil of white cirrus clouds approaches
from the cyclone's direction. Within 24  hours of the closest
approach to the center, low clouds begin to move in, also known as
the bar of a tropical cyclone, as the barometric pressure begins to
fall more rapidly and the winds begin to increase. Within 18 hours
of the center's approach, squally weather is common, with sudden
increases in wind accompanied by rain showers or thunderstorms. Picture of the sky in the eye of a
Within six hours of the center's arrival, rain becomes continuous. tropical cyclone
Within an hour of the center, the rain becomes very heavy and the
highest winds within the tropical cyclone are experienced. When
the center arrives with a strong tropical cyclone, weather conditions improve and the sun becomes
visible as the  eye  moves overhead. Once the system departs, winds reverse and, along with the rain,
suddenly increase. One day after the center's passage, the low overcast is replaced with a higher
overcast, and the rain becomes intermittent. By 36 hours after the center's passage, the high overcast
breaks and the pressure begins to level off.[24]

Use in transportation
Flight is the process by which an object moves through or beyond the sky (as in the case of
spaceflight), whether by generating aerodynamic lift, propulsive thrust, aerostatically using buoyancy,
or by  ballistic  movement, without any direct mechanical support from the ground. The engineering
aspects of flight are studied in  aerospace engineering  which is subdivided into  aeronautics, which is
the study of vehicles that travel through the air, and  astronautics, the study of vehicles that travel
through space, and in ballistics, the study of the flight of projectiles. While human beings have been
capable of flight via  hot air balloons  since 1783,[25]  other species have used flight for significantly
longer. Animals, such as birds, bats, and insects are capable of flight. Spores and seeds from plants use
flight, via use of the wind, as a method of propagating their species.[26]

Significance in mythology
Many mythologies have deities especially associated with the sky. In  Egyptian
religion, the sky was deified as the goddess Nut and as the god Horus. Dyeus is
reconstructed as the god of the sky, or the sky personified, in  Proto-Indo-
European religion, whence  Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder in  Greek
mythology and the Roman god of sky and thunder Jupiter.

In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Altjira (or Arrernte) is the main sky god and Jupiter, Ancient
also the creator god. In Iroquois mythology, Atahensic was a sky goddess who fell Roman sky deity
down to the ground during the creation of the Earth. Many cultures have drawn
constellations between stars in the sky, using them in association with legends and mythology about
their deities.