Why is the sky dark at night?

@abrakadabra • Oct 27, 2024

Oct 27, 2024

1.0K

Because there is no Sun - is no good an answer. As a school going kid that kind of answer felt good to live by. But now, if you think the answer to this question is obvious, think again. The best minds of physics have studied this question for over a century, and the current answer may surprise you.

If you haven't read about it earlier, the world of science will help you understand why even though we have so many stars and galaxies all around us, we still have a pitch dark background across the sky at night.

Check out this 3-minute video -

Like 0 Replies 6

Replies

Welcome, guest

Join CrazyEngineers to reply, ask questions, and participate in conversations.

CrazyEngineers powered by Jatra Community Platform

Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Sep 30, 2012

I think the video is complicating the whole answer 😁. The sky is 'dark' in the night because there's nothing significant to scatter the light around, just like our atmosphere does. The objects that scatter the light are seen as the bright spots on the dark background; because they 'scatter' the light. I don't intend to challenge the logic presented in the video but I believe it's much complicated explanation.

...or am I just simplifying it too much?
0
Jeffrey Arulraj

@jeffrey-xA7lUP • Sep 30, 2012

Bro in reality only the atmosphere scatters If I am not wrong then by your answer there is no atmosphere at night

But I guess there is lesser intensity of Light falling into the earth's atmosphere at night and most of the incident light gets scattered out of the surface by the atmosphere and this makes an absence of light to reach the surface of the earth

The absence of light is black which makes the surroundings look darker at night
0
Apurwa.Thakur

@apurwathakur-8cwdkc • Sep 30, 2012

i studied that sun is static means it does not rotate but planet rotate on its axis and around sun ,at same time sun can not cover all part of earth.because of this in some part of earth there is day and other part enjoy dark.
0
Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Sep 30, 2012

This was like my childhood biggest question why shadow are always black.
simple explanation is if there is no light spectrum reflecting from that angle that will appear as black.
0
Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Sep 30, 2012

Olber's Paradox can answer this
#-Link-Snipped-#

confusing confusing so very confusing !!

0
Anoop Kumar

@anoop-kumar-GDGRCn • Sep 30, 2012
Troll_So_Hard
Olber's Paradox can answer this
#-Link-Snipped-#

confusing confusing so very confusing !!
Worth considering two assumptions
```
The Universe is expanding, so distant stars are red-shifted into obscurity.
                      +
The Universe is young.  Distant light hasn't even reached us yet. 
```
0