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    Question ID:   4010         Current Version: 1
Question: Why are sunrises and sunsets red?
Category: Science > Physics
Keywords: sunlight, color, sunrise, sunset, red
Type: why
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 1436    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:
At sunrise and sunset, the sunlight passes through more atmosphere than during the day when the sun is higher in the sky. More atmosphere means more molecules to scatter the violet and blue light. If the path is long enough, all the blue and violet light gets redirected out of your line of sight, while much of the pink, orange, and red colors continue along the undeviated path between your eyes and the sun. This is why sunrises and sunsets often are composed of pink, red, and orange colors.

When more molecules are in the atmosphere than normal, say after a major volcanic eruption, the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets can occur. Dust and water particles reflect light just like gas molecules can, therefore having more molecules in the air cause more scattering to occur, causing even less pinks and yellows to reach your eyes. More oranges and reds reach your eyes in this situation leading to intense sunrises and sunsets.

This schematic shows how the path of light from the sun changes the color of the light when it reaches your eyes depending on where you are on the earth (or what time of day it is). At midday when the light is coming in overhead, the light appears blue. By sunset however, when more of the suns light passes through a thicker layer of atmosphere, more reds continue on to be seen by the eye. 

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