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  2. Atmospheric optics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_optics

    The reason for this apparent reduction in sky brightness is that, while light from the sky enclosed within the primary bow comes from droplet reflection, and light beyond the secondary bow also comes from droplet reflection, there is no mechanism for the region between the bows to reflect light in the direction of the observer. Generally ...

  3. Albedo - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo

    Water reflects light very differently from typical terrestrial materials. The reflectivity of a water surface is calculated using the Fresnel equations. At the scale of the wavelength of light even wavy water is always smooth so the light is reflected in a locally specular manner (not diffusely). The glint of light off water is a commonplace ...

  4. Color of water - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_of_water

    Lakes and oceans appear cyan for several reasons. One is that the surface of the water reflects the color of the sky, which ranges from cyan to light azure.It is a common misconception that this reflection is the sole reason bodies of water appear cyan, though it can contribute.

  5. Atmospheric refraction - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_refraction

    Diagram showing displacement of the Sun's image at sunrise and sunset Comparison of inferior and superior mirages due to differing air refractive indices, n. Atmospheric refraction is the deviation of light or other electromagnetic wave from a straight line as it passes through the atmosphere due to the variation in air density as a function of height. [1]

  6. Rainbow - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow

    The light at the back of the raindrop does not undergo total internal reflection, and most of the light emerges from the back. However, light coming out the back of the raindrop does not create a rainbow between the observer and the Sun because spectra emitted from the back of the raindrop do not have a maximum of intensity, as the other ...

  7. Ocean optics - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_optics

    Where light reaches the bottom, the water is known as optically shallow, such as in this pool. The pattern of light on the bottom is caused by light refraction at the surface when ripples and small waves bend the water surface. The water at many tropical beaches, such as this beach on the Kure Atoll, is optically shallow. Light reflects off ...

  8. Rayleigh sky model - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_sky_model

    The Rayleigh sky model describes the observed polarization pattern of the daytime sky. Within the atmosphere, Rayleigh scattering of light by air molecules, water, dust, and aerosols causes the sky's light to have a defined polarization pattern. The same elastic scattering processes cause the sky to be blue.

  9. Optical properties of water and ice - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_properties_of...

    The refractive index of water at 20 °C for visible light is 1.33. [1] The refractive index of normal ice is 1.31 (from List of refractive indices).In general, an index of refraction is a complex number with real and imaginary parts, where the latter indicates the strength of absorption loss at a particular wavelength.