langit

Langit is the Indonesian and Malay term for the sky, referring to the expanse above the Earth's surface. In everyday use it also denotes the heavens or the afterlife in religious or poetic contexts. The word is common across Indonesian and Malay languages and is used in many idioms and expressions describing vastness or distance.

The sky, as a physical concept, is the observable portion of space bounded by the ground and outer space, seen through the atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere consists of layers: the troposphere, where weather occurs; the stratosphere, home to the ozone layer; the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere gradually thinning into space. During the day the sky appears blue because sunlight scatters by air molecules (Rayleigh scattering). At sunrise and sunset the sky can appear red or orange due to longer light paths. At night the sky darkens and becomes a backdrop for the Moon, planets, and stars.

In cultural and religious contexts, langit often connotes heaven or paradise. In Indonesian Islam, as in many Muslim-majority regions, heaven is described as a realm above the tangible sky. The phrase langit ketujuh (the seventh heaven) appears in idioms and literature to denote an ultimate, sublime state.

Observation of the sky is central to meteorology and astronomy. Studies of clouds, weather patterns, and celestial events are conducted from ground-based observatories, satellites, and aircraft. In everyday life, people use the sky to tell time, forecast weather, and navigate with the sun and stars.