What Causes a Sunset to Look So Colorful?

Imagine the sun is like a painter, and the sky is its canvas. When the sun gets low in the sky, its light has to travel farther through the air. This makes it lose some of its blue color, and the reds and oranges shine through, like when you look at a glass of water with sunlight shining through it, and the colors change as you move the glass around.

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Examples

  1. A glass of water with sunlight passing through it looks more yellow when you move it closer to your eyes.
  2. When a rainbow appears after the rain, the sky is often pink or orange because of scattered light.
  3. The sky turns orange at sunset like a painting that comes alive.

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Categories: Science · optics· light· atmosphere