BY: MOHD EZLI MASHUT
People in Japan's rising sun are seeing some of the sky in the country turn purple before the arrival of the strongest hurricanes predicted for the worst in 60 years.
The purple sky was shared on social media by many users on Twitter.
This phenomenon is called scattering. According to Science Daily, scattering happens when the molecules and small particles in the atmosphere influence the direction of the light which causes the light to scatter.
The wavelength of the light and the size of the particle determine the color of the sky.
The colors of the sunset result from a phenomenon called scattering, says Steven Ackerman, professor of meteorology at UW-Madison. Molecules and small particles in the atmosphere change the direction of light rays, causing them to scatter.
Scattering affects the color of light coming from the sky, but the details are determined by the wavelength of the light and the size of the particle. The short-wavelength blue and violet are scattered by molecules in the air much more than other colors of the spectrum.
This is why blue and violet light reaches our eyes from all directions on a clear day. But because we can't see violet very well, the sky appears blue.
Scattering also explains the colors of the sunrise and sunset, Ackerman says.
“Because the sun is low on the horizon, sunlight passes through more air at sunset and sunrise than during the day, when the sun is higher in the sky.
More atmosphere means more molecules to scatter the violet and blue light away from your eyes. If the path is long enough, all of the blue and violet light scatters out of your line of sight. The other colors continue on their way to your eyes. This is why sunsets are often yellow, orange, and red.”
And because red has the longest wavelength of any visible light, the sun is red when it’s on the horizon, where its extremely long path through the atmosphere blocks all other colors.
Hashtags #PrayFor Japan and #SaveJapan have been trending on Twitter to deliver updates on the country's atmosphere hit by Hagibis.
Hagibis typhoon is expected to hit Tokyo and is forecast by the Japanese weather agency to be the strongest storm in the city since 1958.
Hagibus typhoon is expected to hit Japan's main island Honshu on Saturday (Oct 12), and is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds at 216 kilometers per hour, according to the Japanese meteorological agency.
The hurricane also caused the Formula 1 Racing Grand Prix of Japan on Suzuka to be canceled.
Two Rugby World Cup matches were also canceled due to the hurricane.
Parts of Japan have not recovered from the typhoon that struck about a month ago and recent storms have moved north from the Pacific to the mainland of the country.
The presence of the hurricane is expected to cause unrest over the weekend in Japan, while many travel plans are expected to be canceled.
Two major Japanese airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, have also canceled hundreds of domestic flights. Regular train services and regular domestic trains are also temporarily suspended.
SOURCE SOURCE: TODAY AGENCY / JAPAN/ Science Daily
PHOTOS SOURCE: TWITTER @BLACKMIST @ika_mesugorira / NASA
