mgb_phys said:You can probably assume a plane - 100km is small compared to the radius of the earth.
The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surround a planet or other celestial body. It is primarily composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and other trace gases. It plays a crucial role in regulating the planet's temperature and protecting it from harmful radiation.
The atmosphere's composition, density, and temperature change with increasing zenith angles. As the zenith angle increases, the path length of sunlight through the atmosphere also increases, leading to greater absorption and scattering of light by particles in the atmosphere.
As the zenith angle increases, the vertical component of the atmospheric pressure decreases, resulting in lower atmospheric pressure. This is because the weight of the overlying air decreases with increasing zenith angle.
The atmosphere's scattering of sunlight is responsible for the blue color of the sky. At smaller zenith angles, more blue light is scattered, resulting in a darker blue color. As the zenith angle increases, less blue light is scattered, and the sky appears lighter or even white.
Clouds can significantly impact the atmosphere's response to zenith angle. They can block or reflect sunlight, affecting the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. Additionally, they can also influence the amount of scattering and absorption of light in the atmosphere, altering the colors of the sky and the overall atmospheric response to zenith angle.