• Question: Why does the sky change colours from day to night?

    Asked by OneDirection to Heather, Helen, Hugh, Jane, Julian on 11 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Jane MacArthur

      Jane MacArthur answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      As the Earth rotates away from the Sun, we pass into the shadow of the Earth and darkness. We get red/orange colours at sunset because the Sun is near the horizon and so light travels through a thicker amount of atmosphere to reach us, which scatters nearly all of the blue light, so we see red/orange.

    • Photo: Julian Onions

      Julian Onions answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      When the sun is overhead, we see the sky as mostly blue as blue light is scatter a bit more than other colours. As the sun sets, the light is going through more air, so more is scattered, and the blue tends to be scattered away especially when looking in the direction of the sun, so the sky goes a redder colour.
      At night – well, it goes black – because there is no light!

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