Frederick Verzanip age 11, of Sioux UIty, Iowa, for his question:

What makes the sky blue?

Light from the sun is white. But before it reaches us, it must pass through a thick layer of air. This air doss not look like much, but actually it is composed of countless particles of gas. It also contains dust, soot and all sorts of other floating debris. These fine particles, too small for our eyes to see, are big enough to trap part of the sunbeams.

White, or colorless light is actually a blend of rainbow colored rays. Each color travels on its own wave length, some shorter, some longer. The blue rays are the shortest and they are the ones that get trapped by air molecules. They are bent, or refracted and scattered over the sky. They add the blue color to the daytime sky.