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The sky is falling: Newton's droplets, Clausius's bubbles and Tyndall's 'sky matter'

Peter Pesic

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To explain why the sky is blue, Newton, Clausius, Tyndall and Lodge invoked small suspended particles. However, simple calculations show that, though such particles fall very slowly, they are absorbed by larger ambient water droplets faster than they can be replenished. These estimates could have been made long ago to show that molecular scattering is necessary to explain the blue sky.


PACS

47.55.D- Drops and bubbles

82.70.Kj Emulsions and suspensions

Subjects

Soft matter, liquids and polymers

Fluid dynamics

Chemical physics and physical chemistry

Dates

Issue 1 (14 January 2005)

Received 20 July 2004, in final form 10 September 2004

Published 29 December 2004



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