Heather+L.+Smisko

Sunset, Clouds and Plane to Germany


This is a picture out of an airplane window traveling to Germany taken by yours truly. In this picture you can see the sun setting, some clouds and a wing of the plane. Why do we see red though when the sun is setting? Well, this is because of light. Light is a wave of vibrating electric and magnetic fields and is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of rainbow colors. It blends together to give us the visible light that is usually white that we see. When the sun is setting we see red though. This is because when the sun is setting light needs to travel far. More of the spectrums colors are scattered apart but the reds long wavelength can reach our eyes so that is what we see.

How is the airplane able to stay in the air? Well four forces act upon the airplane. They are Lift, Thrust, Drag and Weight. When airplanes move they generate lift. This is when the airplane is moving forward and this lifts it up in the air. The weight of the plane drags it down but it’s still able to stay in the air because of thrust, which is made by the engines. Drag is made when there is resistance from the plane moving through the air but as long as the Thrust is greater than the force of Drag, the airplane moves forward. Also if the Lift is greater than the Weight, the airplane moves upward.

The plane was able to reach a height above the clouds. What about the clouds in the picture? A cloud is a visible mass of condensed water vapor floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the ground. Clouds are formed by billions of tiny little water vapor droplets. Clouds stay in the air as long as it’s warmer then the air around it. All three of these concepts are shown in my picture.

__**Physics Topic Categories**__- Light, Weather, Force

__** References- **__ Coffey, Jerry. “Why Are Sunsets Red?” //Universe Today//. N.p., 29 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <[] >

“State Symbols- How Do Airplanes Fly?” //Connect Kids//. N.p., 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <[] >

Wicker, Crystal, narr. “Clouds.” //Weather Wiz Kids//. N.p., 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <[]>

Picture Taken by Heather L. Smisko.