Some Natural Phenomena due to Sunlight

You might have noticed the blue coloured sky, white clouds and crimson sky. All of these are pure natural wonders. Do you know why the sky appears blue and the clouds appear white? All of this is attributable to the sun.

Some natural phenomena that occur due to the sunlight include the breeze, rain and a sunny day. These natural occurrences will have no adverse effects on the ecosystem.

Why does Sunlight Affect Natural Phenomena?

We understand that light is one of the most essential types of energy that is responsible for a wide range of natural events. A light usually goes through multiple processes that include refraction, reflection, dispersion and diffraction. 

Light is electromagnetic radiation that, when it penetrates the Earth’s atmosphere, causes many phenomena such as the formation of rainbows, blue skies, reddish sunsets and white cloud formation.

Here are a few examples of some natural phenomenons due to sunlight:

• Scattering of Light

We can’t perceive the passage of light when we enter a dark room. However, one can observe the path with the help of the laser beam. This is because light scatters by minute particles of air in the laser beam’s passage. Scattering of light is a phenomenon in which the path of light impacting a particle is deflected in a different direction. Light with shorter wavelengths scatters significantly more than light with longer wavelengths.

• Blue Sky

It is common to describe the sky as blue. Have you ever wondered why it appears to be blue?

The atmospheric particles disperse sunlight as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere. Blue is the color with the shortest wavelength in the white light spectrum. As a result, the blue color scatters the most, and the small atmospheric particles spread it in all directions. This is the reason why the sky looks blue.

• White Clouds

Water and dust are two examples of big particles found in the atmosphere. The scattering takes place as per Rayleigh scattering (The amount of scattering is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength). 

Although indeed, all wavelengths are almost equally scattered for big scattering items, such as a raindrop, dust, or ice particles, this is not true for small scattering objects like a raindrop, dust or ice particles. As a result, clouds are usually white.

• The Rainbow

Do you want to know the name that comes under some natural phenomena that occur due to the sunlight? Well, it is a Rainbow!

A rainbow is the most beautiful optical phenomenon that occurs in the sky. A rainbow is formed when sunlight passes through water droplets in the atmosphere and is reflected and refracted. 

Two requirements must be met for a rainbow to appear:

• A portion of the sky should be illuminated by the sun.
• It should be pouring on the side of the sky opposite the sun.

It is not uncommon to witness two rainbows after a rainstorm. The primary and secondary rainbows are the two types of rainbows.

Two rainbows can occasionally be observed in the sky at the same time. The primary rainbow forms in the way mentioned above, while the secondary rainbow is created by two internal reflections within the raindrop. The second reflection reduces the intensity of the light, making the secondary rainbow look fainter than the initial.

The primary rainbow is generated when the sunlight passes through one internal reflection in the raindrops before exiting. The primary rainbow is brighter and narrower than the secondary rainbow. 

It has a red hue on the outside and a violet tint on the inside. The wavelength of red light is longer, and it is bent slightly. The violet with the shortest wavelength is the one that bends the greatest.

Light rays pass through two internal reflections inside the water drops while generating a secondary rainbow, giving it a weak appearance. In the secondary rainbow, the hues are inverted, with red on the inside and violet on the outside.

• Reddish Sunrise and Sunsets

Some natural phenomena that occur due to the sunlight is none other than ressidh sunset and sunrise. The sun’s light beams penetrate the atmosphere during sunrise and dusk, respectively. The majority of blue and subsequent lower wavelength colors are scattered in the atmosphere. The red color, which has the longest wavelength, stays undisturbed and reaches our eyes. As a result, the sun appears reddish during sunrise and sunset.

Visible light is made up of a variety of colors with distinct wavelengths. According to Rayleigh scattering, the blue color with the shortest wavelength scatters the most. Blue and other shorter wavelengths are blended in the atmosphere throughout the day due to scattering. 

Our eyes are drawn to the red color, which is the least scattered. Thus, the sun appears reddish at sunrise and dusk.

Points to Remember

• Light scattering and its interaction with the environment allow us to witness a variety of fascinating events.
• Sunlight allows us to see the full spectrum of colors that the world has to offer.
• The rainbow is the name that comes under some natural phenomena that occur due to the sunlight. It is caused by the dispersion of sunlight in the sky, with its brilliant seven colors stretched across the sky.
• When sunlight reaches the earth’s atmosphere and travels through it, the particles in the atmosphere scatter it.
• As a result, the light shifts its orientation. Light with shorter wavelengths scatters significantly more than light with longer wavelengths.
• This is why blue dominates the sky above since it has a shorter wavelength and scatters lighter.
• The atmosphere contains a variety of big particles, such as water and dust.

Conclusion 

The scattering of light and its interaction with its surrounding environment allows us to experience many beautiful phenomena. Sunlight allows us to experience the entire plethora of colors the world has to offer.