Deep Blue Skies of Winter
Did you know that depth of color in winter blue skies can appear different from summer blue skies? Scientists explain it like this:
When sunlight hits our atmosphere, air molecules scatter the light into colors we recognize as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
In autumn/winter, when humidity drops, air molecules can scatter the blue and violet light efficiently, making the sky color to appear as deep as cobalt. The lower angle of sunlight reaching us in winter also enhances the scattering effect. Conversely, when our air is humid and/or rich with pollen, our atmospheric molecules struggle to do a good job breaking out the hues of blue and violet. Result: the appearance of summery, pale blue skies.
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