Exam 20: Light, Color and Atmospheric Optics

Light that travels from a less-dense to a more-dense medium ____ speed and bends ____ the normal.

Haze can scatter light from the rising or setting Sun in a way that produces bright light beams, called ____, radiating across the sky.

A mirage is caused by ____.

The term parhelia, meaning "with the Sun, " refers to what phenomenon?

Plants appear green to us because they ____.

A ring of light encircling and extending outward from the Sun or Moon is called a(n)____________________.

When an aircraft flies above a cloud layer composed of water droplets less than 50 µm in diameter, a set of colored rings, called the ____________________ , may appear around the shadow of the aircraft.

Secondary rainbows occur when ____.

When stars appear to twinkle or flicker, it is a condition known as ____.

Provide an explanation for why, in effect, each of us has a personal rainbow to enjoy, even if more than one person is standing next to one another when a rainbow appears.

The length of twilight depends on ______.

Which event would you most likely observe over snow-covered ground in the winter?

When the atmosphere becomes loaded with particles, only the longest red wavelengths are able to penetrate the atmosphere, so we see a red Sun.

For blue Suns to appear, the size of the suspended particles must be ____.

White light is perceived when ____ strike(s)the cones of the eye with nearly equal intensity.

Compare a corona of the Moon to dropping a small stone into a pond.

Selective scattering is also known as ____________________.

Which processes must occur in a raindrop to produce a rainbow?

Sunlight reflecting off ice crystals produces which of the following?

A superior mirage occurs when the air near the ground is much warmer than the air above, and objects not only appear to be lower than they really are, but also inverted.