Is the Sky Actually More Blue During Kentucky’s Fall Season?

Is there anything more beautiful than fall in Kentucky? I have thought -very briefly- about living in other places throughout my life. However, this gorgeous season of changing leaves and crisp sunshiney weather is on my list of why I could never leave the Bluegrass State.

Have you ever gone outside during October or November and noticed how incredibly blue the sky is? Does it even seem as though it's more blue than normal? Well, that's because it is. At least it appears to be. A couple of weeks ago, my middle school Social Studies teacher, Mary Beth Durham, shared the science behind why this is.  According to verifythis.com,

It's true -- the sky appears bluer in the fall than in the summer because of low humidity and low sun position, making it easier for blue light to scatter. Meteorologist Christian Morgan explained in the summer, the sky doesn't appear as clearly blue, because of moisture and light scattering. "All of that water vapor continues to help scatter the sunlight," he said. The atmosphere can't retain as much moisture in the fall, so it has a harder time scattering light evenly.

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There is also an optical phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering that has to do with the sun's position in the sky. During fall, the sun is farther away from Earth, so light has to travel farther as well. The color blue has a shorter wavelength, meaning it can move better/faster/stronger (or however that Daft Punk song goes) than other colors like red or orange with longer wavelengths.

That is why the sky really is a brighter and more beautiful blue in the fall than in other seasons. I always thought it was just because the contrasting colors of the red, orange, and yellow leaves made the color *pop* and I guess that probably also plays a part, but it's neat to know there is an explanation.