Knowra Atmospheric optics Atmospheric optics Atmospheric optics studies how light interacts with gases, particles, and droplets in the atmosphere. It explains effects such as blue skies, mirages, halos, and rainbows.
Rayleigh scattering : The scattering of light by particles much smaller than its wavelength, with shorter wavelengths scattered more strongly. It explains the blue daytime sky and the reddening of sunlight near the horizon.
Rainbow : A colored arc produced when sunlight is refracted, internally reflected, and dispersed in water droplets. It is the best-known atmospheric display formed by light interacting with raindrops.
Electromagnetic radiation : Energy propagated through space as coupled electric and magnetic fields, including visible light. Atmospheric optics concerns how this radiation changes direction, intensity, and color in air.
Lidar : A remote-sensing method that measures distance by timing reflected or scattered laser pulses. Atmospheric lidar uses backscattered light to profile clouds, aerosols, and other atmospheric layers.
Astronomical seeing : The blurring and twinkling of astronomical images caused by turbulent variations in atmospheric refractive index. It is an atmospheric optical effect focused on image distortion in telescopic observation.
Mie scattering : The scattering of light by particles comparable in size to its wavelength, such as aerosols and cloud droplets. It produces the whitish glare of clouds and haze that larger atmospheric particles create.
Halo (optical phenomenon) : A ring or arc of light around the Sun or Moon, commonly produced by refraction through ice crystals. Its geometry links visible rings and arcs to the shapes and orientations of cirrus-cloud crystals.
Visible spectrum : The range of electromagnetic wavelengths detectable by the human eye, roughly 380 to 700 nanometers. Its wavelength range determines the colors distinguished in skies, halos, and rainbows.
Sun photometer : An instrument that measures direct sunlight at selected wavelengths to estimate atmospheric optical properties. Its measurements reveal aerosol loading and atmospheric clarity from wavelength-dependent sunlight loss.
Optics : The study of light, its behavior, and its interactions with matter. Atmospheric optics is a setting-specific branch of this broader study.
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