Sky appears dark instead of blue to an astronaut in space. why?
Why does the sky appear dark instead of blue to an astronaut in space?
Atmospheric Scattering
The most common reason why the sky appears blue is due to the scattering of sunlight by Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere is composed of different gases and particles, which scatter different wavelengths of light. Blue light, being of shorter wavelengths, is scattered more than other colors, making the sky appear blue to an observer on Earth's surface.
Lack of Atmosphere in Space
However, in space, there is no atmosphere to scatter light. Therefore, the sky appears dark instead of blue to an astronaut in space. As there is no atmosphere to scatter sunlight, the sunlight travels in a straight line, and there are no particles to scatter the light and create the blue color that is seen on Earth.
View of Space
Although the sky appears dark, the view of space is spectacular. The stars and galaxies are visible in space due to the lack of light pollution and atmospheric interference. Additionally, an astronaut can see the Earth in its entirety, with the curvature of the planet clearly visible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the sky appears dark instead of blue to an astronaut in space due to the lack of atmospheric scattering of sunlight. However, the view of space is awe-inspiring and makes up for the lack of blue sky.