Rayleigh scattering
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Named after the British physicist Lord Rayleigh (1842–1919).
Noun[edit]
Rayleigh scattering (usually uncountable, plural Rayleigh scatterings)
- The elastic scattering of light or other electromagnetic radiation by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the light.
- Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in a clear atmosphere is the main reason why the sky is blue.
- 2000, Zadie Smith, White Teeth, London: Penguin Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 134:
- ‘The sky isn’t really blue. It just looks that way. It’s called Rayleigh scattering.’