Rayleigh Scattering Effects

971 Words4 Pages
1. Describe 3 types of scattering that occur in the earth atmosphere. Rayleigh scattering occurs when particles are very small compared to the wavelength of the radiation. These could be particles such as small specks of dust or nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Rayleigh scattering causes shorter wavelengths of energy to be scattered much more than longer wavelengths. Rayleigh scattering is the dominant scattering mechanism in the upper atmosphere. As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, the shorter wavelengths of the visible spectrum are scattered more than the other (longer) visible wavelengths. At sunrise and sunset, the light has to travel farther through the atmosphere than at midday and the scattering of the shorter wavelengths is more…show more content…
He discovered that when light passes through a clear fluid holding small particles in suspension, the shorter blue wavelengths are scattered more strongly than the red. This can be demonstrated by shining a beam of white light through a tank of water with a little milk or soap mixed in. From the side, the beam can be seen by the blue light it scatters; but the light seen directly from the end is reddened after it has passed through the tank. The scattered light can also be shown to be polarised using a filter of polarised light, just as the sky appears a deeper blue through polaroid sun…show more content…
Even today, people sometimes incorrectly say that this is the case. Later scientists realised that if this were true, there would be more variation of sky colour with humidity or haze conditions than was actually observed, so they supposed correctly that the molecules of oxygen and nitrogen in the air are sufficient to account for the scattering. The case was finally settled by Einstein in 1911, who calculated the detailed formula for the scattering of light from molecules; and this was found to be in agreement with experiment. He was even able to use the calculation as a further verification of Avogadro's number when compared with observation. The molecules are able to scatter light because the electromagnetic field of the light waves induces electric dipole moments in the molecules. 3. Define the following terms in contest of remote sensing I. Spatial resolution describes the ability of a sensor to identify the smallest size detail of a pattern on an image. In other words, the distance between distinguishable patterns or objects in an image that can be separated from each other and is often expressed in meters II. Radiometric resolution is often called contrast. It describes the ability of the sensor to measure the signal strength (acoustic reflectance) or brightness of objects. The more sensitive a sensor is to the reflectance
Show More
Related

  • Raman Spectroscopy Research Paper

    3357 Words  | 14 Pages

    Abstract 200 words approx Raman spectroscopy has made a profound impact on the development of analytical techniques Introduction Overview of Raman Spectroscopy Spectroscopy, in its most simple terms, involves measuring the interaction of radiation with matter to obtain information about a sample. Raman spectroscopy is one of many spectroscopic techniques; it observes the rotational and vibrational modes of a system through the interaction of radiation with electron density and molecular bonds

    Read More

More about Rayleigh Scattering Effects

Open Document