Sunlight can be absorbed, , or scattered before it reaches Earth’s surface. About 30 percent of sunlight hits Earth directly, and 22 percent is filtered through . Dust particles short wavelengths, which causes the sky to appear blue. Earth radiates heat into the atmosphere, which traps the heat in gases, causing the .

Sunlight can be absorbed, reflected, or scattered as it travels toward Earth’s surface. Reflection means sunlight bounces off a surface rather than passing through it, so “reflected” completes the sentence. “Refracted” means bent as it passes between materials, while “retracted” does not describe what happens to sunlight here.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.