Here come the why questions!

_Elsa_

“Mommy why is the sky blue?” asks Autumn. 

Rachel remembers reading an article on this a while ago so she tells Sophia that she’d love to answer Autumn. She takes out her phone to see if she can find the article. It doesn’t take her long to find a good article.

‘Why is the sky blue?

The sun shines white and black light to our planet. The white light has all the colors in it. In our upper atmosphere, we have dust particles and oxygen molecules. The white light meaning all of the colors in a rainbow shines through the upper levels of the atmosphere and the blue light scatters across the entire planet. That is why our sky is blue. Now, during sunrise and sunset, the light traveling through atmosphere is longer at the horizon, then if you were to look up high in the sky. There are more dust particles and oxygen molecules at the horizon, so that is why you see such pretty colors like red, oranges and yellows. 

Autumn is satisfied with that answer and then continues to ask Rachel more questions. 

‘What is weather?

The weather is just the state of the atmosphere at any time, including things such as temperature, precipitation, air pressure and cloud cover. Daily changes in the weather are due to winds and storms. Seasonal changes are due to the Earth rotating around the sun.

What causes the weather?

Because the Earth is round and not flat, the Sun's rays don't fall evenly on the land and oceans. The Sun shines more directly near the equator bringing these areas more warmth. However, the polar regions are at such an angle to the Sun that they get little or no sunlight during the winter, causing colder temperatures. These differences in temperature create a restless movement of air and water in great swirling currents to distribute heat energy from the Sun across the planet. When air in one region is warmer than the surrounding air, it becomes less dense and begins to rise, drawing more air in underneath. Elsewhere, cooler denser air sinks, pushing air outward to flow along the surface and complete the cycle. 

Why are clouds white?

Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun. Light is made up of colors of the rainbow and when you add them all together you get white. The sun appears a yellow color because it sends out more yellow light than any other color. Clouds reflect all the colors the exact same amount so they look white.’ (Source) 

Rachel can’t believe how smart and curious Autumn is. Sophia hopes that her daughter isn’t being too bothersome but she is enjoying the fact that someone else is answering Autumn’s questions.

Let’s continue - Lightning and thunder

Start at the beginning – Rachel and Rancid answer some why Questions about natural disasters

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Start at the beginning of the main story – Why … But WHY?

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