Have you ever heard that the skies in October are bluer than in other months? I can remember hearing that as a child. It was often used in an expression, such as "bluer than an October sky."
I suppose it is a subjective judgment. I can't say that I've made any quantitative measurement of the blueness of the sky in other months, but the idea must have some basis in fact somewhere if it's been around for so long.
I've wondered what might make people think this way. The best idea I've come up with is that the leaves on trees turn and the blueness of the sky is a stronger contrast than in other months. It sounds plausible.
I've wondered if maybe the tilt of the earth or the thinness of the air might somehow make the scattering of blue light in the atmosphere bluer. Or if the rapid departure of color from the rest of the natural world in autumn made people crave what color they could find and hold it even more precious.
I'd read somewhere that the reason there aren't more blue flowers is because they can't attract pollinating insects to the color. I don't know if that reasoning is valid, but blue is the most common color in nature, at least in volume.
Missouri calendar:
- New England asters bloom -- provide nectar for late-migrating monarchs.
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October 15th, 2007 at 7:33 am
I suspect that it is the complementary orange tree leaves that make the October blue sky pop out more.
October 15th, 2007 at 8:20 am
We went to the Liberty Hall and the WWI exhibit on Saturday and the sky was so blue from the top of the tower (once the rain stopped). I’ll post some pictures on Flcker.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I always attribute it to cooler dry air and a lack of humid haze.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Up here, I’ve never heard that October skies are bluer than other months not have I ever heard the expression “bluer than an October sky.” If I’d had to guess which month was “bluer,” I would have said late December into January as the sun is further north on the horizon then. Perhaps October just seems bluer after the haze and humidity of the summer months.
Carolyn H.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:59 am
“….. blue is the most common color in nature, at least in volume.”
Only from our perspective, as surface dwelling Earthlings. Earthworms might beg to differ. So might other intelligent beings (if they exist) in the vast reaches of the Universe.
It’s interesting – when we look up from our vantage point here on Earth, it seems the heavens above are blue. But when we view photos from outer space, we can clearly see that they aren’t.
In a paper entitled “The Cosmic Spectrum and the Color of the Universe”
By Karl Glazebrook & Ivan Baldry, the color of the universe is actually close to white, as surprising as that may sound. Check it out for yourself here – http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kgb/cosspec/
October 15th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
OW – That’s my impression, especially if there are lots of hickories about making things look yellow.
G2 – Sounds like a fun time.
FC – So does that mean you’ve noticed it too? Or heard the expression?
Carolyn – I thought that if it was seasonally based, the later winter months would seem bluer, but that expression just hangs around.
Hal – Well, my comment about blue being the most common color in nature was in relation to flower-seeking insects. I think the comment stands from that point of view.
October 16th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Noticed.
Isn’t there a movie called “October Sky”?