Different Compositions of Colored Atmosphere?

[kairunotabi]

Hello there, I am simulating a planetary system and there was some anomalies like Green atmospheres. That anomaly gave me the question of what kind of elements are present in that planet's atmosphere that makes it color green or simply what are the different compositions of different colored atmosphere?

 

Our home planet Earth has blue atmosphere since its main components are nitrogen (78.09%), oxygen (20.95%), argon (0.93%), and carbon dioxide (0.03%). The atmosphere also contains small amounts, or traces, of water (in local concentrations ranging from 0% to 4%), solid particles, neon, helium, methane, krypton, hydrogen, xenon and ozone. The color of our atmosphere is also affect by Rayleigh scattering.

 

Your answers will help me understand if life could exist on such colored atmospheres

[Moontanman]

I have no link to support this but I have read that a methane atmosphere would have a green sky, I'm not sure why...

 

http://www.orionsarm.com/page/321

Edited February 15, 2013 by Moontanman

[kairunotabi]

Okay, how a about a white atmosphere can could support life? What are the neccesary requirements to have such atmosphere capable of supporting alien life whether intelligent or not? Should it orbit a specific type of star?

[swansont]

I think that gases that have a color tend to be quite reactive and nasty. Chlorine and Bromine, for example

[Enthalpy]

Blue sky on Earth results from scattering, not absorption. Expect this to happen on any planet without absorbers.

 

The colour of the sky could result from microbes living there in great quantity. Or from dust in the air like on Mars.