Sky in a Bottle.

SKY IN A BOTTLE PETER PESIC 

Why is the sky blue? Children and philosophers alike have pondered this question throughout history. The sky's signature color has been attributed to factors ranging from suspended dust particles to reflections of light from Earth's oceans. Aristotle posited that the sky's blue comes from a mixture of the dark night sky and white air. Physicist-author Pesic reviews the multitude of theories developed by other great thinkers, from Leonardo da Vinci to Johannes Kepler to Rene Descartes to Isaac Newton. Their ideas were based on their somewhat differing understandings of light, wavelengths, reflection, and refraction. The book chronicles the work of physicist John William Strutt, also known as the third Baron Rayleigh, who in the late 19th century developed a working explanation for the sky's blue. Pesic provides an elegant synopsis of the scientific investigation into the sky's color as well as an appendix of experiments for readers seeking to explain some of the sky's mystery for themselves. MIT Press, 2005, 256 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95.