Atmospheric Scattering Problem

[jcdenton89]

Hello,

So I have a scenario where the Earth's atmosphere, instead of scattering blue light from the sun, actually scatters green light based on Rayleigh scattering.

I know that the sky will therefore appear green, but how will the sun appear?

I reasoned the sun will be magenta using the normal situation on Earth.

The sun appears yellow/red (toward sunsets) even though its true color is closer to white because the sun's high frequency light (violet/blue) is scattered in the atmosphere by oxygen and nitrogen molecules. Yellows and reds are low frequency, long wavelength, and are able to penetrate the atmosphere without scattering. During sunsets, the angle of sunlight is very shallow and must go through more atmosphere and undergo more scattering. Much less blue light is transmitted and the low end of the color spectrum is dominant.

If in a similar situation, green light were to be scattered, then wouldn't green light be much less dominant in the color spectrum? So by removing Green from the additive primary colors, we lose yellow (normal perceived sun color) and cyan as well. The blue and red frequency light will be able to penetrate the atmosphere, mix, and result in magenta with a scattered green sky as the background.

What do you think? I was toying between a yellow or magenta sun...but i think magenta seems a good option.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Are you referring to the 'green flash'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

 

[astrokreng]

I would first like to commend you for your thoughtful and creative thinking on this topic. Atmospheric scattering is a complex phenomenon and your reasoning is well thought out.

Based on your explanation, it does seem plausible that in a scenario where the Earth's atmosphere scatters green light instead of blue, the sun would appear magenta. This is because, as you mentioned, green light is a lower frequency and would be less dominant in the color spectrum. This would result in a combination of red and blue light, which would appear as magenta.

However, it is important to note that there are many factors that can affect the appearance of the sun, such as the composition of the atmosphere and the angle and intensity of sunlight. Additionally, the perception of color is also influenced by individual differences in color perception. So while magenta may seem like a logical conclusion based on your reasoning, it is also possible that the sun may appear differently to different individuals in this scenario.

In conclusion, your reasoning for a magenta sun in a scenario of green atmospheric scattering is sound, but it is also important to consider other factors and individual differences that may affect the appearance of the sun. Further research and experimentation would be needed to fully understand and predict the appearance of the sun in such a scenario.