Why does the Sky turn Red during a Sunset?


 One of the most beautiful things about our world, is seeing a sunset and imagining why it lights up in reds, oranges or pinks… It is one of the most wondrous things mother nature does and science can explain why this happens!

The light path in the atmosphere of sun being high up is relatively short At this angle, the light scatters relatively evenly and we see more blue colors than any other color which is why our sky appears blue on a clear day. However, the sun is even lower on The Horizon as it sets and so has to penetrate through a lot more air when it reaches our eyes. This additional bit of space dissipates the shorter blue and violet wavelengths, so only longer reds, oranges and pinks define dominate the sky.

The effect comes from a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, in which the shorter wavelengths of light — blue and violet — are scattered more than the longer waves like red. The particles and gases in the atmosphere act like a filter, scattering shorter wavelengths (like blue & violet) closer to you line of sight. Therefore, during sunsets we witness a beautiful display of the colors which are not dispersed easily.

However, there is much more to the factors that might affect sunset colors. These colors can be even more pronounced — and in some cases richer or of different tones — due to things like dust, pollution (and yes, volcanic ash). The cleaner the air, the blandest image you will get and only Reds come out really orange accompanied by dust.

Well, the next time you enjoy a sunset make sure to bear in mind that there are thousands of pieces of science occurring just above your head as well! This spectacle of color isn't merely a pleasure to the eye, but it's also reflective of the phenomenal physics happening in our atmosphere daily.



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