by Ric » Tue Jun 21, 2005 4:23 pm
The APOD for June 20 2005 showing a blue setting sun in a red sky appears to be very strong evidence that the size of the dust particles in the sky of Mars includes a significant proportion at the appropriate size (about twice the wavelength of visible light) to cause Mei scattering of red wavelengths of light, which produces the "blue moon" phenomenon.
The extra redness in the sky is part of the same phenomenon that makes the sun (or the moon) look blue, indeed the scattering of the red is the cause of the "blue moon" phenomenon seen in the sun in this APOD if my analysis is correct.
Anyone interested in the optics (without the mathematics) might check the Q&A section of my web site <RCartier.com> and my recent book "Seeing The Light" listed there.
The APOD for June 20 2005 showing a blue setting sun in a red sky appears to be very strong evidence that the size of the dust particles in the sky of Mars includes a significant proportion at the appropriate size (about twice the wavelength of visible light) to cause Mei scattering of red wavelengths of light, which produces the "blue moon" phenomenon.
The extra redness in the sky is part of the same phenomenon that makes the sun (or the moon) look blue, indeed the scattering of the red is the cause of the "blue moon" phenomenon seen in the sun in this APOD if my analysis is correct.
Anyone interested in the optics (without the mathematics) might check the Q&A section of my web site <RCartier.com> and my recent book "Seeing The Light" listed there.