Atmospheric Phenomena

Light, Color, and Observations

 White and Colors
 Rods and cones in human eye
 0.4 µm – 0.7 µm visible light
 All wavelengths viewed at once = white
 Specific wavelengths = color (ROYGBIV)
White Clouds and Scattered Light
 Reflection and scattering (diffuse light)
 Geometric scattering
 White clouds scatter light
 Black clouds have large cloud droplets
which absorb light, rain likely
 Blue Skies and Hazy Days
 Selective scattering
 Rayleigh scattering
 Blue haze (terepenes)
 Crepuscular rays
 Red Suns and Blue Moons
 A thick atmosphere selectively scatters all
but red sunlight.
 A low solar angle (sunrise or sunset) causes
light to travel through a greater distance or
thicker atmosphere.
 Same process for a blue moon
 Twinkling, Twilight, and the Green
Flash
 Transmission, refraction
 Light that travels from a less dense to a
more dense medium loses speed and bends
toward the normal, while light that enters a
less dense medium increases speed and
bends away from the normal.
 Apparent position, scintillation, twilight,
green flash
 The Mirage
 An object appears to be displaced from true
position.
 Inferior: down to ground
 Superior: up into air
 Observation: Fata Morgana
– Fairly uniform surface is transformed into one of
vertical walls and columns with spires
– Usually in polar regions with warm air over a
cold surface
 Halos, Sundogs, and Sun Pillars
 Halo and cirriform clouds : 22º and 46º,
tangent arc
 Dispersion
 Sun dogs, parahelia
 Sun pillars
 Ice plates vs. ice columns
 Rainbows
 Face falling rain with sun at back, water
drops disperse light
 Primary vs. secondary
 Observation: Rainbow, no rain?
– Other substance besides rain can refract or
disperse light (such as ice crystals) and form
rainbow.
 Coronas and Iridescence
 Corona: bright ring of light created by
diffraction
 Iridescence: bright pastel colors of clouds
created by diffraction
 Observations: Gloried and Heiligenschein
– Rings surrounding shadows