[Thebox (OP)]

What is the difference between atoms of air and the atoms of a wall?

Answer :  I can see through air it is transparent!

So why should the atoms of the wall be any different to the atoms of the air?   

Density = >µ = λ?

[Kryptid]

Individual atoms are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. That does indeed make individual atoms invisible. However, the optical properties of materials change depending on how their atoms interact with each other. This is affected by the number and kind of chemical bonds present, the arrangement of the atoms and even the size of the groups of atoms (colloidal gold, for example, can be red, purple or blue depending on the size of the gold nanoparticles present). Most gases are transparent because the molecules are usually small and widely separated from each other. However, some gases do have a bit of color (such as chlorine being a faint yellow-green or nitrogen dioxide being reddish-brown).

[Bored chemist]

Individual atoms are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. That does indeed make individual atoms invisible

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

[Thebox (OP)]

Individual atoms are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. That does indeed make individual atoms invisible

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

No it would not because it is see through and invisible.  It does not have the density of a molecule.

[Kryptid]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

[paulggriffiths]

I possibly believe if the light is bright enough it would scatter through the wall.

[Bored chemist]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Why would it not be visible?
It would scatter light towards your eye.

[Kryptid]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Why would it not be visible?
It would scatter light towards your eye.

Would this be true of all visible wavelengths or only particular ones? Would some be more strongly reflected than others? Could even a single proton be visible this way?

[Bored chemist]

Individual atoms are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. That does indeed make individual atoms invisible

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

No it would not because it is see through and invisible.  It does not have the density of a molecule.

Sodium vapour is composed of atoms, and is blue.

[Bored chemist]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Why would it not be visible?
It would scatter light towards your eye.

Would this be true of all visible wavelengths or only particular ones? Would some be more strongly reflected than others? Could even a single proton be visible this way?

Scattering is strongly wavelength dependent; it's why the sky is blue.
In principle, yes a single proton should be visible.

[evan_au]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Some of the most accurate clocks built by humans have been based on light emitted by a single atom/ion (mercury and aluminium have been tested).
Of course, the light is measured by instruments rather than by the human eye - especially since the light is ultraviolet.

See: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2010/02/nists-second-quantum-logic-clock-based-aluminum-ion-now-worlds-most-precise

[Thebox (OP)]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Why would it not be visible?
It would scatter light towards your eye.

Would this be true of all visible wavelengths or only particular ones? Would some be more strongly reflected than others? Could even a single proton be visible this way?

Scattering is strongly wavelength dependent; it's why the sky is blue.
In principle, yes a single proton should be visible.

Well interestingly enough that still does not answer why we cant see air and can see right through air .   Obviously in the air there is lots of protons but strangely enough we do not see any visible light off them. Neither does a detector , detect visible light from air.
So either air is not made of atoms or the ground is actually transparent and see through but the density of molecules captures  radiation to be observed as visible light?

[Thebox (OP)]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Some of the most accurate clocks built by humans have been based on light emitted by a single atom/ion (mercury and aluminium have been tested).
Of course, the light is measured by instruments rather than by the human eye - especially since the light is ultraviolet.

See: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2010/02/nists-second-quantum-logic-clock-based-aluminum-ion-now-worlds-most-precise

I am right in thinking we do not detect any light from air?

[Kryptid]

Well interestingly enough that still does not answer why we cant see air and can see right through air .   Obviously in the air there is lots of protons but strangely enough we do not see any visible light off them. Neither does a detector , detect visible light from air.
So either air is not made of atoms or the ground is actually transparent and see through but the density of molecules captures  radiation to be observed as visible light?

It's all down to wavelengths. Different materials refract and absorb different wavelengths. That's already been said.

[Thebox (OP)]

Well interestingly enough that still does not answer why we cant see air and can see right through air .   Obviously in the air there is lots of protons but strangely enough we do not see any visible light off them. Neither does a detector , detect visible light from air.
So either air is not made of atoms or the ground is actually transparent and see through but the density of molecules captures  radiation to be observed as visible light?

It's all down to wavelengths. Different materials refract and absorb different wavelengths. That's already been said.

You can't have a visible wave-length unless there is enough magnitude of permeability of the mass, i.e density to create the interaction and ''stopping power'' to cause the linearity of light to compress to a wave-length between 400-700nm.

Air has practically 0 permeability because it is not dense.

The blue sky is not caused by a scattering at all, a scattering can not produce a compressed wave of 400nm.  The mechanics do not work of a blue sky.
The blue sky like I have explained before is gravitational pressure where the Earth is being forced towards the Sun. The Earths Field being pressured and the radiation oncoming being pressured back to cause the linearity compression.

[Bored chemist]

Well interestingly enough that still does not answer why we cant see air and can see right through air .

The sky is blue; the sunset is red, and you are wrong.

[Bored chemist]

I am right in thinking we do not detect any light from air?

No.
The sky is blue.
We also see lightning and the polar lights.
How could you think we don't detect light from the air?

Anyway the air is mainly made from molecules, so it's about 99% irrelevant to the topic.

[Thebox (OP)]

Well interestingly enough that still does not answer why we cant see air and can see right through air .

The sky is blue; the sunset is red, and you are wrong.

OMG, the sky is blue and some sunsets are red because of Q.F.F  (Quantum field fluctuations). 

[Thebox (OP)]

A single atom would be visible if it was lit well enough.

Really? Interesting. What is the reasoning?

Some of the most accurate clocks built by humans have been based on light emitted by a single atom/ion (mercury and aluminium have been tested).
Of course, the light is measured by instruments rather than by the human eye - especially since the light is ultraviolet.

See: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2010/02/nists-second-quantum-logic-clock-based-aluminum-ion-now-worlds-most-precise

I am right in thinking we do not detect any light from air?

No.
The sky is blue.

The blue sky is to do with the earths  fields not the air. Air has no permeability.

[Thebox (OP)]

Strangely enough the sky is not even blue, the observer , observes the doppler shift.


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