Why is the sky blue?

The Sun is like a big lamp. Its light has lots of colors (like a rainbow). The air is full of tiny, tiny bits. The blue color gets bounced around more by those tiny bits, so blue fills the sky. That is why the sky looks blue.

• Step 1: The Sun sends many colors.
• Step 2: The air has very tiny bits we cannot see.
• Step 3: The tiny bits toss the blue color all around the sky.
• Step 4: When you look up, you see blue!

Quick activity: Go outside, point up, and ask, "What color is the sky?" Or blow a bubble and watch the shiny colors—bubbles help show how light makes colors.

Extra note: Clouds look white because big drops mix all the colors together. At sunrise or sunset the sky can look orange or red because the blue is sent away and the red and orange stay.