Does the sky start above the trees? Or does the sky start on the ground?
In: Planetary Science
Excellent question – truly one that would be asked by a 5-year old, and hence, merits an answer that a 5-year old would understand.
Look at the ocean. It looks blue, right? But scoop up a few droplets. Do those look blue? So.. where does the blue-ness begin? Can you sail out to a point where the blue-ness starts?
The answer? Both the blue-ness of the ocean and the sky are emergent properties of our angle, the sun’s light composition, and the angle of the sun relative to us and the sky/ocean. Change it and it will change the phenomenon as we know it. There is no “start” per se. If you hop on a rocket and shoot up, the sky will gradually fade from its bright blue to darker and darker tones until it becomes black. You don’t ever punch through a wall of blue.
So, where does the sky begin? Maybe it’s better to ask if the sky even exists, or if it is just an optical illusion.
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