• Question: Why cant we see air?

    Asked by asiansupreme to Mike, Emma, Cees, Blanka, Anil on 29 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by wiktor123.
    • Photo: Michael Cook

      Michael Cook answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      In order to see something, light has to bounce off it. For instance, we see leaves because light hits them and reflects back towards our eyes; and we see leaves as green because they absorb the parts of light that aren’t green, so all we get left with is a ray of green light.

      The molecules that make up air are really tiny. So tiny in fact that light can’t actually bounce off them – which means they don’t reflect any light at all, it just passes right on by. Sometimes you get dust in the air, which you can see in strong sunlight or lamplight because the particles of dust are much, much larger, large enough for the light to hit!

      I hope that answers the question!

    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      I think Mike has pretty much covered it here 🙂

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