Question

Shorter wavelength scatters the most while longer wavelength don't but why don't we see violet even if it has the shortest wavelength?

A. The violet is emitted with much less strength than blue.
B. Our eyes are more sensitive to blue than they are to violet so they pick up nearly as much violet light as they do to blue.
C. A hotter sun would produce a higher amount of violet light.
D. Even though violet has a shorter wavelength, human eyes are more sensitive to blue light thus we see the sky blue.​

Answer 1

The sky appears blue rather than violet because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light and the Sun emits more light toward the red end of the spectrum.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason we don't often perceive the sky as violet, even though violet light has the shortest wavelength and scatters the most, is due to the way our eyes perceive color. Specifically, human eyes are more sensitive to blue light than to violet. This sensitivity, combined with the fact that the Sun emits more light toward the red end of the spectrum, makes the sky appear blue to us. Options A and C are misleading as they do not reflect the primary reason for the blue appearance of the sky. The correct answer is D, because our eyes are indeed biased toward the blue part of the spectrum. Although violet has a shorter wavelength, its light is not as prominent in the sky's coloration because the sensitivity of human vision peaks at blue. Moreover, the Sun's radiation, which includes visible light, peaks in intensity in the yellow-green range, which also contributes to the sky's blue appearance over violet.