Rayleigh scattering

Rayleigh scattering is the way that light scatters when it hits a very small object.  This theory is valid if the wavelength of the light is much bigger than the object. It is named after Lord Rayleigh but was also the work of Raman and Krishnan as it is part of the Raman scattering theory. 

This is also why the sky looks blue when it is daytime. Rayleigh Scattering means that light of shorter wavelength, blue light, will come into the air and bounce around in the air before going towards the ground, making the sky look blue.   

Category:Physics