What Causes a Sunset to Change Colors Every Day?

Imagine the sun is like a giant flashlight shining through a big glass of water. During the day, the light goes straight to us. But at sunset, it has to travel through more air, and that makes the sky change colors! The reds and oranges come from the sunlight bouncing off tiny bits in the air called particles.

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Examples

A clear orange sky at sunset is like sunlight being filtered through a big cup of water.
When there’s a lot of dust in the air, the sky might look pink or purple like it's painted with glitter.
On cloudy days, the sun looks softer and more yellow because the clouds act like a soft filter.

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Categories: Science · Optics,Atmospheric Science,Light